Memo: With General Elections Nearing, Americans Continue to Demand Tougher Gun Laws

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MEMORANDUM

TO Interested Parties

FROM Jason Phelps, National Press Secretary

DATE August 22, 2018

RE With General Elections Nearing, Americans Continue to Demand Tougher Gun Laws

__________

Earlier this year, Americans across the country in cities, suburbs, and towns came together and demanded that lawmakers become leaders by taking meaningful action on gun reform. Those calls have continued and have made gun safety one of the defining issues of this year’s election. People have not wavered in their support for stronger gun laws. Here are some polls from recent weeks that prove it.

1. The NRA’s Favorability is Plummeting

As the NRA continues to tie itself to an unpopular president, their support among Americans has plummeted. People are turned off by an NRA leadership and gun lobby that has stifled any debate over strengthening our gun laws. In fact, according to Pew, 44 percent of all adults believe the NRA wields too much power. These shifts in the political landscape are likely to impact the general election this fall.

•  NBC/WSJ : 40 percent view the NRA negatively, compared to 37 percent favorably.
  • This is a shift from April 2017, when the NRA had a favorability of 45 percent and an unfavorability of 33 percent.
  • Among white women, 33 percent view the NRA favorably, compared to 47 percent in April 2017.
  • Moderate Republicans support of the NRA dropped from 72 percent in April 2017 to 60 percent.
•  Wall Street Journal: Democratic voters find gun control the second most important political issue after health care.
•  Global Strategy Group and GBA Strategies: 34 percent of voters view the NRA favorably, compared to 53 percent with unfavorable views.
  • This is a continued drop from April polling done by Global Strategy Group and GBA Strategies, where 39 percent of voters viewed the NRA favorably.
•  Gallup: Since 2015, NRA favorability has dropped from 58 percent to 53 percent to 2018.
•  Public Policy Polling: Voters support high school gun violence protesters more than the NRA.
  • High school students protesting gun violence receive a favorability of 56 percent, compared to an NRA favorability of 39 percent.

2. Gun Safety is Playing a Big Role in this Year’s Midterms

The Wall Street Journal recently reported the shift among Democratic candidates toward a “muscular gun-control agenda that represents a wholesale repositioning on the hot-button issue.” Candidates are listening to the voters in their communities by touting policies that protect families and communities and fighting for them if they get to Congress. The poll numbers are clear: voters want representatives that put gun safety first.

•  Giffords/Global Strategy Group: New House Battleground Survey Shows GOP in Danger On Gun Violence Prevention
  • Among independents: Democrats’ lead grows by 20 points (+7 to +27) when the race is between a Democrat who supports stronger gun laws and a Republican who opposes more gun restrictions.
  • Among women: Democrats’ lead grows by 14 points when we make the race about guns (+6 to +20).
  • Among college-educated white voters: Democrats’ lead grows by 21 points (+3 to +24) when the race is framed as being about gun laws.
•  NBC/WSJ : 20 percent of Americans said guns is a top deciding issue for their vote this November.
•  Pride Fund: LGBT voters list gun reform as their top issue for the midterms.
  • 19 percent say finding gun law reforms is their top issue, compared to health care at 16 percent, and the economy at 13 percent.
  • 89 percent support expanded background checks to cover all gun sales.
  • 88 percent support preventing individuals convicted of hate crimes from purchasing guns.
  • 80 percent support banning assault weapons.
  • 78 percent support banning large-capacity magazines.
•  Whitman Insight Strategies/Buzzfeed News: Changing gun laws is the top issue in the next election for LGBTQ Americans.
  • 87 percent supported background checks.
  • 86 percent want to restrict access to individuals with past convictions
  • 75 percent want to ban high-capacity magazine ammunition.

3. Bipartisan Opposition to 3D-Printed Guns

A recent settlement between the Trump Administration and Defense Distributed, an online organization that develops firearm blueprints, opened the door to anyone being able to get the code to make 3D-printed guns. These lethal, untraceable firearms can be created with a 3D-printer and could make it easier for untraceable weapons to find their way into the hands of dangerous individuals. That’s why Americans are calling for leaders to clamp down on these dangerous devices.

•  Axios: Eight out of 10 Americans believe 3D-printed gun blueprints shouldn’t be available on the internet.
  • 76 percent of gun owners oppose releasing 3D-printed guns to the public.
  • 81 percent of rural voters oppose and 90 percent of African-American women oppose making the blueprints available.
  • Leading the subgroups in opposition is suburban white women at 93 percent.
•  Morning Consult: 69 percent of voters said individuals should not be able to post 3D-printed guns online.
  • 70 percent of voters, both Republicans and Democrats, think the government should regulate self-made guns in the same way all other guns are regulated.
  • This includes 66 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Independents, and 80 percent of Democrats.
•  The Hill/HarrisX: 79 percent of voters think providing blueprints to 3D-printed guns should be illegal.
  • 86 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Republicans say publishing the blueprints should be illegal.

4. Young People Continue to Demand Action

Young Americans continue to call out adults for failing in a basic responsibility – to keep them safe. This summer we’ve witnessed students host town halls, walkouts, and drives to register other students to vote. With the wrap up of the March For Our Lives #RoadToChange bus tour, young voters are not going to let up until gun safety champions win in November.

•  Harvard IOP: 37 percent of Americans under 30 indicate they will “definitely be voting in the upcoming midterms. This is compared to 23 percent in 2014.”
  • 7 in 10 Americans under 30 who plan to vote in the midterm elections believe gun-control laws should be stricter.
  • 58 percent support a ban on assault weapons, up significantly from 41 percent in 2013.
•  YPulse, Giffords, and Everytown for Gun Safety: Gun violence is the top issue among young people in deciding who to vote for in the 2018 midterm elections.
  • 91 percent say a candidate’s position on guns is important when deciding who to vote for in 2018.
  • 73 percent of young people feel gun laws should be stronger (compared to 20% who feel they should be less strong or kept the same).
  • 72 percent of respondents say they agreed somewhat or completely with the statement, “If politicians continue to do nothing in the wake of more and more people dying from gun violence, they should not be re-elected.”
  • 60 percent of 15- to 18-year-olds say they are “passionate” about reducing gun violence.
•  USA Today/Ipsos: 53 percent of 13- to 24-year olds say gun violence was a major concern of theirs.
  • 54 percent believe gun control measures and stronger background checks would assist in reducing mass shootings.
  • Respondents overwhelmingly believe by a 7-1 margin that people treated for mental illnesses should not be allowed to own firearms.

5. Support for Stronger Gun Laws Remains High

The desire for effective gun safety reform has not waned. Polls continue to indicate America’s desire to see the passage of stricter laws. Electing a Congress ready to match these views will result in federal legislation that benefits the lives of all Americans and not the wishes of the corporate gun lobby.

•  American Journal of Public Health: Both gun owners and non-gun owners are in agreement on a large number of policy proposals.
  • Over 80 percent of both gun owners and non-gun owners support universal background checks.
  • 80 percent of non-gun owners and more than 70 percent of gun owners support gun violence restraining orders.
•  Time: A majority of NRA members expressed support for comprehensive background checks.
  • 69 percent of NRA members support background checks.
  • 78 percent of gun owners who don’t belong to the NRA support background checks.
  • 89 percent of non-gun owners support.
•  Marist/PBS NewsHour/NPR: 52 percent of adults believe stricter gun legislation should be an immediate priority.
  • 19 percent believe this is not an immediate priority and 27 percent believe stricter gun legislation should not be a priority at all.
•  University of Texas/Texas Tribune: A majority of Texas voters believe gun laws should be stricter.
  • 51 percent believe in stricter gun laws, compared to 13 percent wanting less strict gun laws, and 31 percent believe gun laws should be kept as they are.