Quinnipiac Finds Americans, Including Gun Owners, are in Near Total Agreement on Universal Background Checks
November 16, 2017— A new survey released today by Quinnipiac University makes clear that Americans, including in households with guns, are in a near total agreement that universal background checks are needed for the purchase of firearms. Including gun owners, 94 percent of Americans support universal background checks for all gun sales, the highest number since it first became a regular question in the poll after the Sandy Hook massacre. 60 percent of voters also want to see additional gun safety measures passed.
“The fact that 94 percent of Americans want to see Congress pass reasonable gun safety laws shows that the gun lobby’s relentless push to sell their extremist agenda to the American public is a failure,” said Peter Ambler, Executive Director, Giffords. “Congress needs to pay attention. Americans don’t want to see politicians staying silent and refusing to act as people continue to die. Voters are raising their voices to demand that our laws enforce the notion that criminals, domestic abusers, and convicted felons should not be able to get their hands on a gun. If elected leaders want to keep their jobs, they should get in step with the voices of the American people and take concrete action to keep our community safe.”
Key findings from the Quinnipiac survey include:
- Near total support for universal background checks. 95 percent, including 94 percent of voters in households where there is a gun, support universal background checks.
- Americans want to see gun safety measures passed. 60 percent of voters said they want to see additional gun safety measures passed.
- Americans believe it’s too easy to buy a gun. 59 percent of voters polled say it’s too easy to buy a gun.
The survey was conducted by Quinnipiac University. The survey was comprised of 1,577 voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points between November 7-13.