New Pew Research Provides Further Evidence that Gun Owners Support Solutions to Make Gun Laws Safer
June 23, 2017 – A new survey released by the Pew Research Center finds further evidence that a solid majority of American gun owners favor reasonable policy proposals that limit access to guns to dangerous people and will strengthen protections to keep our communities safe. While support for many proposals is even higher among non-gun owners, the Pew research notes that a strong majority of gun owners favor gun safety policies, such as background checks for private sales of guns and for sales made at gun shows.
These findings align with a poll released earlier this year by Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, that illustrated a disconnect between the views of gun owners and the priorities being pushed by the gun lobby. Key federal legislative priorities named by the NRA, including federally mandated concealed carry, deregulating the sale of gun silencers, and eliminating gun-free school zones, all received very low support from gun owners themselves.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Gun owners overwhelmingly support background checks and want to see elected officials do more to keep guns out of the wrong hands. 80 percent of gun owners support requiring a background check on all gun sales, including those sold online or at gun shows, while just 16 percent oppose them. 86 percent of gun owners support prohibiting anyone convicted of stalking or domestic abuse from buying a gun, and 85 percent of gun owners support prohibiting those on the federal terror watch list or no-fly lists from buying a gun.
- Gun owners overwhelming support requiring a permit to carry concealed. Nearly 9 out 10 gun owners, 88 percent, believe the requirement to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun in a public place should remain in place.
- By a 3 to 1 margin, gun owners do not want to deregulate the sale of silencers. Since the 1930s, the sale of silencers has been regulated the same way as machine guns and short-barreled rifles; to purchase a silencer buyers must have a clean criminal record and register the silencer with law enforcement. Nearly 3 out of 4 gun owners – 73 percent – support current law regarding the sale of silencers, while just 24 percent believe silencers should be deregulated.
- A majority of gun owners support gun-free school zones. By a 2 to 1 margin, gun owners support laws, like the Gun-Free School Zones Act, that prevent guns from being carried in K-12 schools.
- Gun owners are more likely to support politicians who support strong gun laws. 73 percent of gun owners are more likely to support a candidate who supports background checks for all gun purchases. 66 percent are more likely to support a candidate who supports gun violence prevention policies.
- The NRA is out of touch with gun owners on gun safety issues. 67 percent of the gun owners feel that the NRA used to be an organization dedicated to gun safety, but it’s been overtaken by lobbyists and the interests of gun manufacturers and lost its original purpose and mission. Less than 50 percent of gun owners feel that the organization represents their interests.
“As a lifelong gun owner, I’ll be the first to say gun owners want our leaders to do more to save lives and make our communities safer,” said Captain Mark Kelly, co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions and husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. “When it comes to preventing gun violence, there are some things we can all agree on. Whether you are a Republican gun owner, a Democrat gun owner, or an NRA member – we can all agree that when guns end up in the wrong hands the results are devastating. It’s unacceptable that every day 91 Americans are killed by a gun. We’ve got to do better.”
The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling, on behalf of Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC. The survey was comprised of 661 gun owners between April 19-20, with a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Full poll results are available here.
To speak with a gun violence prevention expert, contact Katie Peters at KatieP@responsiblesolutions.