Everytown, Giffords Unveil New Polling Showing That Voters Want Action On Gun Safety In First 100 Days

Washington, D.C. –– Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords unveiled new post-election polling demonstrating that the overwhelming majority of voters –– including ticket splitters –– are demanding urgent legislative and executive action on gun safety policies like background checks on all gun sales, prohibiting ghost guns, and more. The poll, first reported by the Washington Post, was conducted by Global Strategy Group and surveyed thousands of 2020 voters nationwide in the weeks after November’s election. Key data from the poll shows that 93% of Americans support background checks on all gun sales (on par with job creation and passing another COVID-19 relief package), 86% of 2020 ticket splitters agree that “there is no excuse for the next president and Congress not to pass background checks into law on day one,” and two thirds of ticket splitters want to see the president take executive action on gun safety.  

This polling underlines the need for urgent action after a deadly year of gun violence exacerbated by an ongoing pandemic, in which skyrocketing gun sales strained our background check system and the country saw increases in city gun violence, homicides, increased risk of domestic violence, and more. 

“This poll — and this election — send a clear message that gun safety has gone from the third rail of American politics to one of the first things on voters’ minds,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Gun safety is good policy and good politics, and acting on it now could unify the country in a way few other issues could.”

“Americans are watching and waiting, fed up with decades of excuses, denials, and failures as the number of families hurt by gun violence climbs higher every year,” said Peter Ambler, Giffords Executive Director. “Leaders in Washington are ready to turn the page and take action to address the gun violence in our country that has unfortunately become a fact of life. And if they do, voters will be ready to stand with elected officials who reject the radicalization of the Second Amendment and work to sign universal background checks into law.”  

The polling demonstrates that gun safety is a unifying and urgent issue for Democrats, Republicans, and gun owners alike. Toplines include: 

• Voters overwhelmingly support background checks on all gun sales: 93% of Americans support background checks on all gun sales, on par with job creation and passing another COVID-19 relief package; 
• Americans want immediate action on gun safety: 86% of ticket splitters agree that “there is no excuse for the next president and Congress not to pass background checks into law on day one,” and 78% of ticket splitters believe that requiring background checks on all gun sales should be a major priority to address in the first 100 days. 
• Support remains strong in the face of opposition messaging: Majorities of Democrats (86%), independents (74%), Republicans (64%), gun owners (67%), and ticket splitters (59%) all strongly support requiring background checks on all gun sales –– and trying to attack a Democrat for supporting background checks does not improve the effectiveness of the standard Republican attack lines that Democrats are likely to face.. 
• Executive actions on gun safety enjoy broad support: Two-thirds of ticket splitters want to see the president take executive action on gun safety. Particular executive actions enjoy even more support, specifically, 85% of voters support prohibiting untraceable ghost guns. 
• Americans will hold politicians accountable for standing in the way of gun safety: 70% of ticket splitters and voters nationwide say they would never vote for a candidate who opposes background checks.

The full polling memo can be found here.