ATLANTA – A broad majority of likely Georgia primary voters want stricter gun control measures, including a growing number of Republicans who break ranks with their party leaders by calling for more limits on firearm sales, according to a pair of polls conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News.
The polls of likely GOP and Democratic primary voters conducted by the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs suggest a shift in attitudes among Republicans after mass shootings in Las Vegas and at a Florida high school drew intense attention to gun laws and led to student-led protest marches across the nation.
In perhaps the most striking finding, 45 percent of likely Republican primary voters who were questioned April 19-26 want stricter rules covering the sale of firearms and 46 percent want those rules to stay the same. Only 7 percent of respondents want to loosen gun regulations to make it easier to buy firearms.
It suggests Georgia Republicans could find common ground on the debate across the aisle. A separate AJC/Channel 2 poll released last week showed roughly 90 percent of likely Democratic primary voters want stricter firearms regulations and only a handful – about 6 percent – want the gun laws to stay the same.
“Is the ability to possess an AR-15 the biggest problem that affects Georgia? No. Rural blight is a problem. Education is a problem. The economy is a problem,” said Jon Macon, a conservative voter from southeast Georgia. “And the candidates need to talk about that instead.”