NEW POLL: Voter Support for Safer Gun Laws Reaches Record High, Support for Gun Lobby-Backed Bills Plummets
October 12, 2017 –– New polls released by the Quinnipiac University , POLITICO/Morning Consult and Huffington Post/YouGov find further evidence that a solid majority of Americans favor reasonable policy proposals that limit access to guns to dangerous people and will strengthen protections to keep our communities safe. While supportfor many proposals is even higher among non-gunowners, the 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. The polls also show the majority of Americans, including National Rifle Association supporters and Trump voters, oppose the gunlobby’s dangerous agenda that threatens public safety.
“These poll are further evidence the vast majority of Americans, including gun owners, support responsible measures that are proven to make our communities safer, and reject the gunlobby’s dangerous agenda that poses a major threat to public safety,” said Peter Ambler, Executive Director, Americans for Responsible Solutions. “The will of the American electorate could not be clearer: voters want their elected leaders to reject dangerous legislation, like the deregulation of silencers and federally mandated concealed carry, and to instead pass laws that protect our rights and our communities from gun violence. This could be a heroic moment of progress forour elected leaders, but taking action to save lives requires finding the courage to say no to the gunlobby and instead standing with the voters who elected them.”
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 gunlobby. Key federal legislative priorities named by the NRA, including federally mandated concealed carry, deregulating the sale of gunsilencers, and eliminating gun-free school zones, all received very low support from gun owners themselves.
Key findings from the polls include:
- 94 percent of voters support requiring background checks for all gunpurchases, including 93 percent of voters in gun households.
- 60 percent of voters support stricter gunlaws, the highest level of supportever, according to Quinnipiac University. The previous highsupport was 54 percent on June 28th.
- 73 percent of voters support a ban on modifications to make a semi-automatic weapon fire more like an automatic weapon, including 67 percent of voters in gun households.
- 63 percent of voters believe it’s possible to make new gunlaws without interfering with gun rights, including 57 percent of voters in gun households
- 88 percent of voters support background checks on all gun sales;
- 64 percent of voters support stronger gunlaws, including 41 percent who strongly support them;
- 79 percent of voters support banning bump stocks
- 69 percent of voters support prohibiting guns at K-12 schools and on college campuses.
- Just 18 percent of Americans favor changing the law to let people buy gunsilencers more quickly and without paying a fee, while 68 percent are opposed. 49 percent of Americans with a favorable view of the National Rifle Association say such restrictions should not be loosened, and only 38 percent say they should. Just 34 percent of those who voted for President Donald Trump are in favor of the change, while 52 percent of them oppose it.
- Forty-five percent of Americans say deregulating silencers would increase crime, while 33 percent say it wouldn’t have much of an impact.
- 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.
- 88 percent of gun owners believe the requirement to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun in a public place should be continued.
- 73 percent of gun owners support current law regarding the sale of silencers, while just 24 percent believe silencers should be deregulated.
- 80 percent of gun owners support requiring a background check on all gunsales, including those sold online or at gun shows, while just 16 percent oppose them.
- 73 percent of gun owners are more likely to support a candidate who supports background checks for all gun purchases.
- By a 2 to 1 margin, gun owners supportlaws that prevent guns from being carried in K-12 schools.
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