Post-State of the Union: Americans Want Gun Safety, Leading Issue of 2024
Biden Touted Gun Safety Wins in State of the Union Address
In last night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden used his platform to address gun safety, demonstrating again that it is one of the most critical problems our country faces and a leading issue on Americans’ minds in 2024. With eight months until Election Day, President Biden drew attention to his unprecedented gun safety accomplishments and record, highlighting key federal accomplishments like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
“Jill and I went to Uvalde and spent hours with the families. We heard their message, and so should everyone in this chamber: do something. I did do something by establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention,” Biden said. “I’m proud we beat the NRA when I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years! Now we must beat the NRA again!” he added.
President Biden has made fighting gun violence a priority because he has seen its devastating effects up close. Throughout his time in public office, he has consoled families of shooting victims, and he’s comforted survivors grieving the loss of a child, parent, or spouse. He has made a commitment to fighting gun violence because it is the right thing to do.
Americans—Democratic and Republican alike—agree with him.
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Key Voters Are Fed Up with Shootings And Demand Leaders Who Embrace Solutions
The data is clear: voters overwhelmingly support President Biden’s gun safety record and are demanding American leaders to do more to combat the crisis. Two-thirds of battleground state voters want stronger gun laws. It’s no surprise then that a live dial test from Navigator Research last night showed a spike in approval for voters under 40 when the president laid out his popular gun safety agenda.
Additionally, a recent GIFFORDS poll found that 76% of voters in nine battleground states1 support President Biden’s landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). Remarkably, individual provisions of the law received even greater support:
- 90% of voters support making gun trafficking a federal crime.
- 90% support strengthening background checks on gun purchasers under the age of 21.
- 86% support making straw purchasing a federal crime.
In fact, after learning about BSCA, an additional 28% of independent voters in battleground states believed the law’s supporters were working to reduce crime.
The BSCA—the most comprehensive federal gun safety legislation passed in nearly 30 years—was a good start, but Americans want more, including 72% of battleground state voters under 30 years-old.
- 9 in 10 Americans want background checks on all gun sales, something to which President Biden has brought us closer than ever. [GIFFORDS]
- 88%of battleground state voters support requiring training and a license to purchase a gun. [GIFFORDS]
- 82% of battleground state voters support regulating untraceable and undetectable guns, known as ghost guns. [GIFFORDS]
- 80% of registered voters support allowing police to take guns from those considered a danger to themselves or others.
- 69% of Americans support funding community-based gun violence prevention programs.
Win in 2024: Run on Gun Safety
President Biden highlighted gun safety in the State of the Union because it is a key issue, and a winning message, for everyone on the ballot this November. At a moment where concerns about crime are at a high, candidates running for offices up and down the ballot, from town council to the United States Senate, should make gun safety a core argument in their campaigns. We’ve seen it work.
One key example is in Virginia, where candidates across the commonwealth ran and won on a commonsense gun safety platform. The legislature was able to pass vital laws that will save lives, including ghost gun bans; banning firearms at polling places; and closing the “boyfriend loophole” to ensure that individuals who perpetrate violence against intimate partners cannot possess firearms. Additionally, both chambers passed the Virginia Firearm Industry Standards of Responsible Conduct, which will hold the corporate gun industry accountable for negligent behavior, and open courtroom doors to victims that have been shut since Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).
Data shows that candidates have many proven solutions to choose from, which are both good policy and good politics.
And that doesn’t just go for Democrats. Republicans who voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and support commonsense gun safety solutions can run and win on a lifesaving gun safety platform too.
ELECTIONS
GUN SAFETY PRESIDENT
Joe Biden has made gun safety a priority for decades—and has proven he isn’t afraid to take on the NRA. We need a president who will lead on this issue, not one bought and paid for by the gun lobby. Joe Biden is our pick for Gun Safety President this November.
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- A GIFFORDS/Global Strategy Group conducted an online survey of 1,405 likely 2024 voters, including 322 Black voters and 314 Hispanic voters, in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin between May 24 and June 1, 2023. The survey had a confidence interval of +/- 2.6%. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic, demographic, and political divisions among registered voters are properly represented.[↩]