Gun owners split on NRA

ALBANY — The National Rifle Association isn’t hitting the target with gun owners when it comes to many of its policies, a new poll released Tuesday revealed.

The poll from the Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, an anti-gun violence organization co-founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, found that only 47% of gun owners said the NRA represented their interests.

In addition, 67% agreed that the NRA had strayed from its original purpose as a gun-safety organization and had been overtaken by lobbyists and the interests of gun manufacturers.

“As a lifelong gun owner, I’ll be the first to say gun owners want our leaders to do more to save lives and make our communities safer,” said former astronaut Mark Kelly (below with his wife, Giffords), who co-founded the PAC with her.

“Whether you are a Republican gun owner, a Democrat gun owner, or an NRA member — we can all agree that when guns end up in the wrong hands the results are devastating,” Kelly continued. “It's unacceptable that every day 91 Americans are killed by a gun. We’ve got to do better.” NRA officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The poll comes as the NRA is preparing to host its annual convention in Atlanta later this week. President Trump is expected to address the gathering on Friday.

Conducted by Public Policy Polling, the poll found that 51% of gun owners approve of the job Trump is doing as President.

The poll also found a disconnect between the views of gun owners and the priorities being pushed by the NRA. Seventy-three percent of gun owners said they would be more likely to support a candidate who favors background checks for all gun purchases and 85% of gun owners support prohibiting those on the federal terror watchlist or no-fly lists from buying a gun. Sixty percent of gun owners said they favored laws preventing guns from being carried in schools, the poll found.