A public opinion trend that matters: Priorities for gun policy
Surveys have found a shift in gun policy attitudes over time. Here’s a look at how public opinion on the subject is measured.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Surveys have found a shift in gun policy attitudes over time. Here’s a look at how public opinion on the subject is measured.
#5: 37% of adults reported having a gun in their household in 2013.
After the horrific shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., a year ago claiming the lives of 20 children and six adults, there was a sense in the country – especially among gun-control supporters — that the tragedy would be different from similar ones in the past and push the nation to action. But ultimately, a sustained change in public opinion did not materialize, and a bill to tighten gun laws died in the Senate.
In the year since the Newtown school shootings, most new state gun laws have loosened rather than tightened restrictions.
Every new year means adding thousands of new state laws to the books. This year’s wide range includes everything from tanning bed age limits (Illinois), to a new ban on selling shark fins (Delaware). While most new laws represent incremental change, sometimes state laws can also signal broader movement on a public policy issue or […]
Supporters of gun-rights tend to feel more strongly about their position, and more willing to act on it politically, than backers of gun-control legislation.
There’s a pretty good chance that immigration legislation will become law this year. The prospects for enacting a gun control bill are not nearly as promising, according to the American public.
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