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Amid a Series of Mass Shootings in the U.S., Gun Policy Remains Deeply Divisive
Black adults far more likely than White adults to say crime would go up if more people had guns
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- Amid a Series of Mass Shootings in the U.S., Gun Policy Remains Deeply Divisive
- Narrow majority favors stricter gun laws, but deep partisan divisions persist
- Broad support for barring people with mental illnesses from obtaining guns, expanded background checks
- Bipartisan support for preventing the mentally ill from buying guns, expanded background checks; wide partisan differences on many other gun policies
- Declining GOP support for assault-style weapons ban, national gun registry
- GOP share saying gun violence is very big problem for the country declines
- Support for stricter gun laws has fluctuated in recent years; fewer back stricter laws now than in 2019
- Wide differences in support for stricter gun laws by race, gender, education and community type
- Black adults far more likely than White adults to say crime would go up if more people had guns
- Young adults far more likely than older people to say mass shootings would be less frequent if guns were harder to obtain legally
- Large shares of Democrats strongly favor gun policies that would restrict purchases, ownership of certain weapons; Republicans express more lukewarm support
- Less support for expanded gun background checks among Republicans in rural areas than those living in urban, suburban communities
- Black Democrats more likely than White, Hispanic Democrats to say gun violence is a very big problem