Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 7, 1994 TAG: 9405090146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The statewide poll by Tech's Center for Survey Research showed that 49 percent of those surveyed believe handguns should be illegal. Support for such a gun ban was highest in the Northern Virginia and Tidewater areas with 56 percent of the respondents supporting the ban as opposed to 41 percent of those in the remainder of the state.
Alan Bayer, director of the survey, said the support for banning guns shows that many people are concerned about the state's growing crime rate.
"That's a very strongly worded statement," he said. "Our politicians are perhaps not in tune with the opinion of many Virginians."
Tech researchers questioned 596 people during the last week of March for its third annual Quality of Life Survey. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.
Harry Wilson, director of Roanoke College's Center for Research, was astonished to learn that such a high percentage of those surveyed said they favored banning guns.
"I'd be surprised about those results almost anywhere except in big cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles," he said. "Gun control usually gets a pretty high response, but when you talk about banning weapons ... that's a different story."
Wilson said people in large cities are more likely to support such a ban because most don't normally own guns, while rural citizens are more likely to hunt and therefore support gun rights.
In a related issue, 92 percent of those surveyed agreed that there should be a waiting period to buy handguns, while 43 percent of those surveyed said crime had increased in their communities in the last year.
"I'm struck by how many folks are even fearful to even go out and walk in their own neighborhoods," Bayer said.
Yet, despite worries about crime, 89 percent of those questioned said Virginia is a good or excellent place to live.
An overwhelming majority of the respondents think organized prayer should be offered in public schools. Just over 73 percent of those surveyed outside of Northern Virginia and Tidewater supported prayer in schools, while 58.5 percent of the urban residents support it.
"That's very clearly contrary to the Supreme Court's interpretation of our own constitution," Bayer said.
Gov. George Allen also got higher marks from Virginians than President Bill Clinton. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that Allen is doing a good job, while 55 percent said the same about Clinton.
Robert Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said Allen has done little in his first six months to hurt his popularity.
by CNB