美国国家公共电台 NPR Poll: Americans, Including Republicans And Gun Owners, Broadly Support Red Flag Laws

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

President Trump¹ seems to be backing off statements supporting gun control, including laws that would make it easier to take firearms away from people who might hurt themselves or others. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have laws that make it possible to petition a judge to get what's called an Extreme Risk Protection Order. These are also known as red flag laws. And a newly published survey from the American Public Media Research Lab finds strong majorities of Americans from across the political spectrum² support these laws.

Joining us now is Leigh Paterson from the Guns & America reporting project. She is based at member station KUNC in Northern Colorado. Hi, Leigh.

LEIGH PATERSON, BYLINE³: Good morning.

GREENE: So I want to be careful here to clarify something. This polling was done before the mass shootings in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio, right?

PATERSON: Yes, exactly.

GREENE: Well, tell us what you found here. What stands out?

PATERSON: Well, so before I just give you a bunch of numbers, the survey basically says that there's a lot of support for these laws. Seventy-seven percent of Americans support family-initiated⁴ Extreme Risk Protection Orders - sorry 77%. And 70% support these orders when they're initiated by law enforcement.

Polling shows support is strong among Democrats⁵, Republicans, independents, though it's highest among Democrats, and it's fairly high among gun owners, too. Sixty-seven percent support orders initiated by family, and 60% support them when they are initiated by police.

GREENE: Well, I know we have some tape that you collected from people you spoke⁶ to trying to understand the meaning of these numbers, and I want our listeners to hear it. This is Cassandra Crifasi of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

CASSANDRA CRIFASI: It's not focused on all gun owners; it's focused on gun owners who are exhibiting risky⁷ behaviors. That - I think we can reasonably agree, someone who's posting online about committing a mass shooting or someone who is sharing with a family member or friend that they're thinking about harming themselves, that's someone that we would want to separate from firearms.

GREENE: What does that tell us about the polling that you're seeing here?

PATERSON: Well, Crifasi - and just to add to what she just said - she pointed⁸ to the temporary component⁹ of these laws. And that's important because it means that once that temporary order expires, the subject of the order, the one who had to give up their guns, is able to go and ask for them back.

I also talked with Amy Swearer from the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation. She talks about these orders as kind of like an intermediate measure, meaning they can provide a way to intervene before someone has committed a crime or before they've gotten on the radar¹⁰ of mental health care professionals but who maybe are already showing signs of dangerousness, as she puts it.

GREENE: Well, I know we have some tape of Amy Swearer from the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation...

PATERSON: Yeah.

GREENE: ...Also talking about why there is still, you know, notable opposition¹¹ to ideas like this. Here's what she said.

AMY SWEARER: There are legitimate¹², I think, underlying¹³ fears. If these laws are not properly narrowed, that if they're not using specific enough language, that if they're not being couched in appropriate measures of due process, that it can open the door for a lot of abuse.

GREENE: And is that where the opposition comes from, the idea that a law like this could open the door for more?

PATERSON: Yeah, yeah. It's - some of it. So some people believe these laws violate the Second Amendment¹⁴ because they limit access to guns. Others have concerns about due process. Here in Colorado, there's this whole movement of sheriffs who say they won't enforce the Colorado law once it takes effect because of the issues I've just outlined, because of that malicious¹⁵ intent idea and also because the law just simply doesn't have the mental health care component.

GREENE: Leigh Paterson comes to us from Guns & America, a public media reporting project focused on the role of guns in American life. Leigh, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

PATERSON: You're welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

10 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

14 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

15 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。