Forty-four percent of Republicans agree that armed revolution may be necessary to protect American liberties, according to a gun control poll conducted by Farleigh Dickinson University (pdf).

Eighteen percent of Democrats and 27 percent of independents agree that Americans may need to take up arms against their government, the study’s authors found.

The study also found a stark contrast between Democrats and Republicans’ views on gun control legislation. While 73 percent of Democrats said Congress should pass gun laws to protect the public, 65 percent of Republicans disagreed. Overall, 50 percent agreed that we need stricter gun laws, as opposed to 39 percent who disagree.

“If there was a bipartisan moment after Sandy Hook to pass gun control legislation, it’s past,” said Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Farleigh Dickinson and one of the study's authors. “Partisan views have strongly re-asserted themselves, and there’s no sign that they’ll get any weaker.”

“The differences in views of gun legislation are really a function of differences in what people believe guns are for,” said Dan Cassino, one of the study’s authors. “If you truly believe an armed revolution is possible in the near future, you need weapons and you’re going to be wary about government efforts to take them away.”

Right-wing rocker Ted Nugent made headlines in January when he suggested that the newly re-elected Obama is “attempting to re-implement the tyranny of King George that we escaped from in 1776 … And if you want another Concord Bridge, I got some buddies.” Farleigh Dickinson’s poll suggests that Nugent isn’t the only one hysterically paranoid over the Obama administration.

Farleigh Dickinson researchers called 863 registered voters nationwide from April 22 through April 28.