In the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting, a poll from Quinnipiac University unveiled on Thursday finds that Floridians remain behind the Stand Your Ground law that has received new attention following the incident.
The poll of registered voters finds that Floridians remain solidly in support of Stand Your Ground, with 56 percent backing the law while 35 percent oppose it. Republicans lean heavily in favor of the law with 78 percent supporting it while 59 percent of Democrats are against it. A majority of independent voters-- 58 percent -- support the law while 35 percent are against it.
The poll shows there remains a gender gap on the law as 65 percent of men and 48 percent of women say they support Stand Your Ground and 39 percent of women and 31 percent of men oppose it.
Racial groups divide over Stand Your Ground. A strong majority of white voters in Florida -- 61 percent -- and a smaller one of Hispanics -- 53 percent -- back the law. A majority of black voters -- 56 percent -- oppose the law.
Stepping away from Stand Your Ground to focus on gun control in general, the poll finds that a slim majority of Floridians -- 51 percent -- oppose new gun control laws in the state while 45 percent want to see stricter regulations on guns.
"Despite the controversy, public opinion seems to be solidly behind 'Stand Your Ground' and slightly against stricter gun control," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, on Thursday.
The poll does show that Floridians are divided by political affiliation on gun control. While 73 percent of Democrats back more gun-control laws in the Sunshine State, 74 percent of Republicans oppose them. A slim majority of independent voters -- 51 percent -- oppose stricter gun-control laws in the Sunshine State while 42 percent support them.
There is also, according to the poll, a major gender gap in Florida over gun control. While 62 percent of men are against more gun control, 34 percent of them back the idea. A majority of women surveyed -- 54 percent -- back increased gun control in the Sunshine State while 41 percent oppose it.
The poll shows Floridians are split over Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorns idea to ban guns in the downtown of his city when the Republicans convene there for their national convention come August. While 46 percent of those surveyed support Buckhorns idea, a slim plurality -- 49 percent -- oppose it.
The poll did show that an overwhelming majority -- 83 percent -- do not think that Floridians with concealed weapons permits should be allowed to take guns into the Capitol in Tallahassee, while 14 percent support the concept.
The poll of 1,722 registered Florida voters was taken from May 15-21 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
