THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

And according to the latest McClatchy-Marist poll the majority of people fear guns in the hands of their fellow Americans far more than they fear "Terrorists".

Overall, 63 percent of registered votes say they’re more worried that they or someone they know will be a victim of gun violence, while 29 percent more fear that they or a friend will fall prey to a terrorist attack.

Democrats and independents lean heavily toward gun violence as the bigger threat, a sentiment reflected in the party’s push for stricter gun laws in the wake of mass shootings this year in Charleston, S.C., Rosenburg, Ore., and Lafayette, La.

Democrats fear guns over terrorism by 77-15 percent. Independents fear gun violence over terrorism by 64-28 percent.

Republicans edge toward terrorism as the bigger threat, but only narrowly, by 50-45 percent over a fear of gun violence.

African-American voters have the biggest concern about guns: 71 percent say they’re worried about being a victim of gun violence and only 13 percent are afraid of being caught in a terrorist attack.

“There are a lot of Republicans concerned about gun violence,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducts the survey. “But Republicans are more concerned about issues of terrorism than about guns.”

Miringoff said the percentage of Republicans concerned about gun violence reflects rank-and-file Republicans more than the GOP’s tea party and conservative base, which the presidential candidates will need to win the nomination.

Tea party supporters skew more toward terrorism as the greater threat, by 57-37 percent. And given their activist voice in primaries, that helps explain the campaign.

The breakout is pretty much what you would expect. I guess there will never be a cure for the people more afraid of some bearded guy in Syria than they are of drunk Uncle Fred showing off his new shootin' iron. But we must remember they are a minority. Once again the numbers show a large majority in favor of public safety over paranoia.