1/30/2013
By Ivan Pereira
The governor’s swift action to strengthen the state’s gun laws may have cost him some popularity points.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a favorability rating of 59%, which is 15% lower than his rating last month.
Poll researchers say the drop may have come from gun owners, 50% of whom said they disapprove of Cuomo’s job performance. But the pollsters added it won’t be any long-term setback.
“It is possible that the gun law cost him some of that political capital, but a 2-1 job approval rating still makes him the envy of most governors,” Mickey Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.
Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University, agreed and said the poll’s details show partisanship may be the real reason behind Cuomo’s approval dip.
She noted Albany legislators agreed that the state needed to take a stand against gun violence, but not all agreed on specifics.
“There are few minor pieces in some of the bills that GOP New Yorkers aren’t comfortable with,” Greer said.
The gun law, which Cuomo signed two weeks ago, bans assault rifles, reduces magazines from 10 rounds to seven and mandates background checks for buying ammunition.
Four gun lobby groups, including the Westchester County Firearm Owners Association, are suing the state over the assault rifle ban. Scott Sommavilla, the president of the WCFOA, said the law puts too many restrictions on gun manufacturers and law abiding gun owners.
“The governor’s disenfranchising himself with this law,” he said.
Greer said she doesn’t think this will deter the governor or other New York leaders from advocating for more gun control laws.
“States with Democratic governors will tighten gun laws as much as they can,” she said.
