Two years after the Newton, Connecticut, school massacre, Americans are coming to appreciate their gun rights more than ever. And despite the billions of dollars spent to convince people otherwise, the idea of more gun control is anathema to most Americans.

Even women and black Americans are less likely to see guns as a safety risk and more likely to view them as protection against crime, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

And for the first time in 25 years, more Americans say that protecting gun rights is more important than controlling gun ownership, 52 percent to 46 percent.

Americans now believe having a gun is the best way to protect against crime, 63 percent to 30 percent, a dramatic shift from 10 years ago.

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Blacks more likely to see benefits of gun ownership

One of the more striking aspects of the Pew poll was the change in thinking among black Americans. As recently as 2012, 53 percent of blacks surveyed said guns put people's safety at risk, whereas just 29 percent said guns protect people from becoming victims of crime. By December 2014, those ratios had flipped, with 41 percent saying guns are a safety hazard and 54 percent saying guns protect people from crime.

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, a pastor and founder of the BOND network, a group that mentors young black males in the Los Angeles area, said gun control makes about as much sense for black families living in inner-city ghettos as it did for Jews living in Nazi ghettos during World War II.

"Gun control is one of the worst things that could happen to innocent black people who are living in inner cities around the country because they are under siege, and the criminals have guns," Peterson told WND. "And many innocent black people are being robbed and raped and killed and have no way to defend themselves. I literally know of cases where single women have been robbed and raped in their driveways. It hurts all citizens, all good citizens, but gun control is having a devastating effect on blacks in this country."

That's because black families are more likely to reside in high-crime areas populated by "thugs" who don't obey gun laws, Peterson said.

"I've been saying for a while now if anyone needs to stand up for the Second Amendment it's black Americans. Crime is out of control now, so I know of neighborhoods where the thugs and gang members are breaking into homes and the people know who they are but they are afraid of telling the cops because they're afraid of retaliation," he said. "If black Americans were armed in those areas, I think they would have more courage in reporting the criminals to the police."

Milwaukee sheriff: 'Very bad news' for anti-gunners

Sheriff David Clark of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, said the new poll will be a setback for those pushing for stiffer gun-control laws, which in his opinion have failed to curb violent crime in cities where they are strictest. He cited Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., as having some of the toughest gun laws, yet the murder rates are perennially among the nation's highest.

"That (poll) is very bad news for the anti-gun movement," Clarke told WND.

He said gun owners basically fall into three categories: Those seeking basic self-defense, those who hunt or participate in target-shooting sports, and those who don't trust the government and see firearms as a last resort against tyranny.

"All together, you have a large number of people that see it as a slippery slope and relish their right to purchase firearms," Clarke said. "Since it is such a small percentage that uses guns to intimidate and take property, people are asking, 'why do you want to take away my right to own a firearm?'

"So there are these growing groups of people who would be impacted by these (gun control) laws and don't want to see them implemented."

Another poll by Rasmussen found that 62 percent of Americans don't trust the government to enforce gun laws fairly.

Jerry Henry, executive director of GeorgiaCarry.Org and a resident of suburban Atlanta, said the Pew study debunks another poll just last month by the General Social Survey, that showed 32 percent of Americans either own a firearm themselves or live with someone who does, which ties a record low set in 2010. In the early 1980s about half of Americans told researchers there was a gun in their household. Left wing commentators cheered, saying it's only a matter of time before changing demographics will put groups like the NRA and Gun Owners of America out of business.

"We took great umbrage at this poll and its suggested importance and accuracy," Henry told WND. "I believe this survey to be more accurate than any of those commissioned by Bloomberg or Soros because as we all know, had they commissioned this survey the results would never be published."

The reason for the continued push for gun control "is because there are a few people with almost unlimited financial resources that would be king of the U.S. if there money does not run out," Henry said. "As we witnessed in Washington and Oregon, they are buying votes with propaganda campaigns."

Washington recently passed a ballot initiative that will require a background check on almost all transfers of handguns, even loans among family members. Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer all wrote million-dollar checks to flood the airwaves with ads in favor of the measure.

"This Pew polling data proves that Americans know that guns save lives," said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. "Sixty-three percent of the people think having a gun in the home makes them safer, where only 30 percent now believe it makes the home less safe. That's a dramatic shift, and it spells very bad news for the gun prohibition lobby."

Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, said the results reaffirm what the NRA has said all along: "The majority of the American people support gun rights and reject the Obama-Bloomberg gun control propaganda and agenda."

Right after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting two years ago, Americans who told pollsters they wanted more gun control had surged past 50 percent.

Pew Research Center found that while support for gun control once reached 66 percent, it has dropped to 46 percent while support for gun rights has jumped 52 percent, the highest ever in the past 25 years.

Now, it's down to 46 percent. That's a massive shift in public opinion in a relatively short time frame.

"We are at a moment when most Americans believe crime rates are rising and when most believe gun ownership – not gun control – makes people safer," said the survey.

Asked which GOP candidate he thought would be the most friendly toward gun owners, Henry said he hasn't fully decided but is leaning toward Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

"So far, Ted Cruz, in my opinion would be best for gun owners. Rand Paul is in with a so-called gun rights organization that is more interested in raising money than changing the laws," Henry said. "The others who I am familiar with are only for gun rights when on the campaign trail.

"But with the numbers in this survey showing this kind of support, the gun prohibitionists cannot be happy."