In the aftermath of a jury finding George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin, protesters continue to rally in Tallahassee hoping to change Floridas Stand Your Ground law. But a national poll unveiled Friday shows a majority of American voters support such self-defense laws.
Quinnipiac University released a poll of registered voters showing that 53 percent of voters favor Stand Your Ground laws while 40 percent oppose them. The poll shows major divisions on the issue along racial lines.
"Stand Your Ground splits the country sharply along political, gender and racial lines," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
While 57 percent of white voters favor Stand Your Ground, the same percentage of black voters oppose them. Only 37 percent of black voters support Stand Your Ground and the same percentage of white voters oppose it. Hispanics are divided on the issue, with 44 percent supporting it and 43 percent opposing it.
The poll also shows a major gender gap on the issue. A strong majority of men -- 62 percent -- support Stand Your Ground while 34 percent oppose it. Women lean against Stand Your Ground with 47 percent against it and 44 percent for it.
There is also a major partisan divide on Stand Your Ground. An overwhelming majority -- 75 percent -- of Republicans support the law while only 19 percent of members of the GOP oppose it. Democrats, however, are clearly against it, with 62 percent opposing it and 32 percent supporting it. A majority of independents back Stand Your Ground, with 57 percent supporting it and 37 percent opposing it.
Unsurprisingly, voters who live in houses with a gun strongly support Stand Your Ground. Two-thirds of these voters -- 67 percent -- support Stand Your Ground while only 29 percent oppose it.
Brown said with a majority of voters supporting the law, its unlikely protesters will make much headway across the nation as they look to repeal state self-defense laws.
"With these kinds of numbers, it's unlikely the movement to repeal Stand Your Ground will be successful in most of the country," Brown said.
The poll of 1,468 registered voters was taken from July 28-31 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent.
A poll released last month by Viewpoint Florida showed Floridians continued to support Stand Your Ground.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
