Republican opposition to gun control measures may damage the party amongst Latino voters, even as the party works to rebuild its image amongst the country’s fastest-growing voter block.
Just 18% of Latinos own guns, making them less likely than any other racial demographic to own a firearm, and they value gun rights less than any other demographic, according to a February Gallup poll. An April 2012 poll found that 57% of white voters ranked gun rights over that of gun ownership, as opposed to 29% of Latinos who ranked gun rights over gun ownership.
“Community violence and gun violence is something that has a deep impact within the Latino community, Latinos are about seven times more likely to die at the hands of a gun,” explained Jennifer Ng’andu, the director of health and civil rights at National Council of La Raza. “It’s hard to say if this is a swing issue for any community, but what I know is that people have very strong, visceral reactions about how they want to preserve community safety.”
To read the rest of the story go to tv.msnbc.com.
RELATED: Scarborough: Wayne LaPierre op-ed is ‘so laced with racial overtones
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
