Poll shock: 50% back arming teachers, NRA boycott hurts boycotting firms not gun lobby

Two unexpected results from new polling in the wake of the Florida school shooting finds that President Trump enjoys support for his call to arm qualified teachers while companies joining a boycott of the NRA are facing a consumer backlash.

In the first of two Morning Consult polls, 50 percent said they back armed teachers in schools, a quick fix backed by Trump and first suggested by the National Rifle Association. Some eight states already allow armed teachers in schools, and another six are considering it.


Said Morning Consult:

“The survey, conducted Feb. 22-26 among a national sample of 1,992 registered voters, found 50 percent of those polled support equipping teachers and school staff with concealed firearms to respond in the event of a school shooting. Forty-two percent of voters said they do not support such a policy, which Trump has embraced following the Feb. 14 high school shooting in Parkland, Fla.”

In a separate poll, they found outrage at companies that have pulled sponsorship from the NRA.


Said the polling outfit in an analysis titled, “Companies See Negative Responses to Cutting Business Ties With NRA — Poll shows unfavorable ratings rose for firms that severed ties with the NRA:”

After the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting, several prominent companies ended their businesses relationships with the National Rifle Association — and some are facing backlash in public opinion, according to a new poll.

A Morning Consult survey of 2,201 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 23-25 found increases in negative views of businesses that severed ties with the NRA after consumers learned of them.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]

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