Toplines - Gun Control - October 1-2, 2009

National Survey of 1,000 Adults
Conducted October 1-2, 2009

By Rasmussen Reports

1* How closely have you followed news reports about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to review the constitutionality of state and local gun control laws?

26% Very closely
31% Somewhat closely
29% Not very closely
11% Not at all
2% Not sure

2* Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right of an average citizen to own a gun?

71% Yes
13% No
15% Not sure

3* Does the United States need stricter gun control laws? (asked in June 2008)

39% Yes
50% No
11% Not sure

4* Some people believe city governments have the right to ban ownership of handguns within their cities. Others say that’s a violation of the Second Amendment which guarantees citizens the right to bear arms. What do you think? Do city governments have the right to prevent citizens from owning handguns?

20% Yes
69% No
11% Not sure

46% Too easy
13% Too hard
33% About right
9% Not sure

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence