It seems obvious to many that advocating for regulating the sale, ownership, and use of guns is a political loser. Indeed, there is a wealth of polling data suggesting Americans oppose “gun control” and favor “gun rights.” However, new research obtained by ThinkProgress indicates that this opposition exists only in the abstract. According to a poll conducted in May by Republican pollster Frank Luntz for the group Mayors against Illegal Guns, gun-owning Americans, including National Rifle Association (NRA) members, overwhelmingly support a raft of common-sense measures typically described as “gun control:”

1. Requiring criminal background checks on gun owners and gun shop employees. 87 percent of non-NRA gun-owners and 74 percent of NRA gun owners support the former, and 80 percent and 79 percent, respectively, endorse the latter.

2. Prohibiting terrorist watch list members from acquiring guns. Support ranges from 80 percent among non-NRA gun-owners to 71 percent among NRA members.

3. Mandating that gun-owners tell the police when their gun is stolen. 71 percent non-NRA gun-owners support this measure, as do 64 percent of NRA members.

4. Concealed carry permits should only be restricted to individuals who have completed a safety training course and are 21 and older. 84 percent of non-NRA and 74 percent of NRA member gun-owners support the safety training restriction, and the numbers are 74 percent and 63 percent for the age restriction.

5. Concealed carry permits shouldn’t be given to perpetrators of violent misdemeanors or individuals arrested for domestic violence. The NRA/non-NRA gun-owner split on these issues is 81 percent and 75 percent in favor of the violent misdemeanors provision and 78 percent/68 percent in favor of the domestic violence restriction.

The poll, which sampled 945 gun owners around the country and had a margin of error of +/- 3, also found broad support gun-owners for the principle that “support for 2nd Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with keeping illegal guns out of the hands of criminals.” In fact, more NRA members (87 percent) supported the statement than non-NRA members (83 percent). One wonders if the views of its supporters will be heard at NRA headquarters, as the organization opposes laws that attempt to implement several of the positions that Luntz’ poll established gun-owners support.

This morning, Mother Jones published a profile of Wes Riddle, a Republican candidate for the House who has said, among other heinous things, that “Are the descendants of slaves really worse off? Would Jesse Jackson be better off living in Uganda? Would we? (Don’t answer that).” Mother Jones suggested that Riddle has a serious chance to win, partly as a consequence of a prominent endorsement: Representative Ron Paul (R-TX). Unfortunately, Riddle isn’t the only candidate with an extreme history Paul has endorsed this year – his hand-picked candidates seem prone to having seriously questionable views:

1. Ted Cruz, Senate: Paul and his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, have endorsed Cruz, a fellow Texas extremist. Cruz has opposed the Voting Rights Act, touted his role in executing an undocumented immigrant, and expressed belief in the absurd theory that George Soros and the United Nations are coming for your golf game.

2. Kurt Bills, Senate: Paul has endorsed the Minnesota Republican who, as a state legislator, introduced a bill to make gold and silver legal tender and “study” the (unconstitutional) idea of having Minnesota develop its own currency. Bills also has compared the Affordable Care Act, unfavorably, to the burning of Washington in the War of 1812 and released a bizarre campaign ad/48 hour film festival entry that suggests voting for his opponent, incumbent Democrat Amy Klobuchar, will cause you to “die alone in a broken world.”

3. John Koster, House: Ron has also endorsed Koster (R, WA-1), who “physically flinches” at the thought of two men kissing during their wedding, once bragged about using his position as a state legislator to intimidate a university into cancelling a conference for gay students [Lexis, 6/6/98], wants to shutter the IRS and withdraw from the United Nations, and expressed opposition to a conspiracy theory about a mythical “NAFTA superhighway.” Those last three extreme positions are “the correct answers” on to some of the questions on a candidate survey by Ron Paul’s 501(c)(4) political operation, Campaign for Liberty.

The troubling thinking that appears pervasive in Paul-endorsed candidates perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise: Ron Paul has a storied history of peddling conspiracy theories and flirting with out-and-out racism on the national stage.