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Gun Control

Most Recent Releases

February 26, 2018

Gun Owners Say They Feel Safer

Amid renewed calls for stricter gun control following the Florida school shooting, most Americans who have guns at home say it makes them feel safer.

February 22, 2018

Americans Aren’t Convinced Stricter Gun Control Laws Will Decrease Violent Crime

In the wake of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead, officials and activists are calling for tighter gun control laws.

February 19, 2018

Americans Now More Supportive of Further Gun Control, Feel Schools Less Safe

Following last week's school shooting in Florida, Americans rate more gun control on the same level with treatment of the mentally ill as the best way to stop incidents of this kind...

November 10, 2017

Voters Want Stricter Enforcement of Gun Laws

Following a mass shooting at a church in Texas that killed 26, voters think the country needs to do a better job enforcing gun laws already on the books, but they don’t think limiting gun ownership to government officials  is the answer.

October 9, 2017

Voters Still Highly Skeptical of Politicians Who Raise Gun Issues

The mass shooting in Las Vegas has renewed talks of gun-control legislation in Congress, but most voters continue to question the motives of politicians who raise gun-related issues.

October 6, 2017

Voters Want More Gun Control, Less Sure It Will Work

Voters see a need for tougher gun regulation following the Las Vegas massacre but remain closely divided over whether it would prevent future mass killings.

August 16, 2016

Most Like the NRA But Aren't Moved by Its Endorsement

Most voters share a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association and say their Second Amendment constitutional right to own a gun is important to their vote in the coming elections. But even among voters who rate the second Amendment highly, the NRA's endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump isn't critical to how they will vote.

July 20, 2016

Most GOPers Don’t Favor Suspending ‘Open Carry’ at Convention

Republicans favor laws that allow Americans to wear guns in public but are more closely divided over whether Ohio should temporarily suspend its “open carry” law to prevent any incidents at the GOP national convention in Cleveland.

June 23, 2016

Support for More Gun Control Jumps to New High

Support for additional gun control has risen to its highest level ever, but voters are evenly divided over whether more gun buying restrictions will help prevent future shootings like the one in Orlando.

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June 21, 2016

Party Affiliation Dictates Responses to Orlando

Two competing narratives have emerged in the wake of the terrorist shooting massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida: President Obama and most Democratic leaders say it highlights the need for increased gun control, while most prominent Republicans say it represents the growing threat of domestic Islamic terrorism. Voters are divided along similar partisan lines when it comes to how best to prevent such attacks in the future.

June 13, 2016

Americans Saw the Orlando Terror Attack Coming

Radical Islamic terrorism raised its ugly head again this weekend, but most Americans saw the horror in Orlando coming nearly three months ago.

April 13, 2016

Why Are Americans Buying So Many Guns?

Law-abiding Americans are buying guns at a record pace, and most tell us it’s for self-defense. Democrats, however, are far more likely than others to believe it is too easy to buy a gun these days.

January 13, 2016

Only 28% Trust Feds to Fairly Enforce Gun Control

Supporters of additional gun control generally consider the National Rifle Association their biggest problem, but distrust of the federal government remains a big hurdle for them to clear.

January 12, 2016

Just 15% Think It's More Dangerous Here Than In Other Countries

Despite the threats of terrorism and mass shootings, few U.S. voters believe that life in the United States is more dangerous than elsewhere in the world.

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January 8, 2016

Most Voters Oppose Obama Acting Alone on Gun Control

Voters don’t approve of President Obama’s decision to go it alone with several gun control initiatives and don’t believe his actions will reduce the number of mass killings the country has experienced recently.

December 10, 2015

Gun Owners Feel Safer

Does having a gun make Americans safer? Gun owners say yes.

December 9, 2015

Voters See Terrorism, Not Guns, As Main Issue In San Bernardino Attack

President Obama on Sunday, in an address to the nation about the recent shooting massacre in San Bernardino, California, described the incident as terrorism but also said it highlighted the need for more gun control. Voters place far more importance on the terrorism aspect in this case, but they are slightly more supportive of a federal database listing all gun owners in the country.

December 8, 2015

Does The NRA Make America Safer?

Most believe the gun policies of the National Rifle Association make this country safer, perhaps in part because Americans tend to think more gun control will only hurt law-abiding citizens.

December 7, 2015

Will Concealed Carry Gun Owners Reduce the Number of Shooting Incidents?

Some have suggested the presence of more Americans with concealed carry gun permits will reduce the number of people killed in violent incidents in this country. Americans tend to think that’s true but aren’t strongly sold on the idea.

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December 4, 2015

Were the Planned Parenthood Shootings A Terrorist Act?

Some politicians have charged that last week’s shootings at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado were politically motivated. Were the killings a domestic terrorist act? Americans say no.