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Gun Policy

short readJul 24, 2024

A customer shops for a handgun at a gun store in Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

About six-in-ten U.S. adults (58%) favor stricter gun laws. Another 26% say that U.S. gun laws are about right, while 15% favor less strict gun laws.

short readApr 11, 2024

59% of public K-12 teachers say they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting ever happening at their school.

reportAug 16, 2023

Gun owners in the United States continue to cite protection far more than other factors, including hunting and sport shooting, as a major reason they own a gun. About half of Americans who don’t own a gun say they could never see themselves owning one (52%) while nearly as many could imagine themselves as gun owners in the future (47%).

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Gun Policy

Publications

short readsApr 17, 2015

Despite lower crime rates, support for gun rights increases

In December 2014, the balance of opinion flipped: For the first time, more Americans say protecting gun rights (52%) is more important than controlling gun ownership (46%).
short readsJan 9, 2015

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.
short readsJul 15, 2014

The demographics and politics of gun-owning households

Americans with young children in their home are just as likely as other adults to have a gun in their household.
short readsApr 24, 2014

5 facts about the NRA and guns in America

#5: 37% of adults reported having a gun in their household in 2013.
short readsDec 31, 2013

As 2014 brings new state laws, a look at public opinion on the issues

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 […]
short readsDec 13, 2013

Chart of the Week: Most new gun laws since Newtown ease restrictions

In the year since the Newtown school shootings, most new state gun laws have loosened rather than tightened restrictions.
short readsDec 12, 2013

A year after Newtown, little change in public opinion on guns

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.
short readsSep 11, 2013

Colorado recall points to greater intensity among gun-rights supporters

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.
short readsJul 26, 2013

About four-in-ten Americans live in a household where there is a gun

About four-in-ten Americans report having a gun in their household, either their own or someone else’s.
short readsJul 22, 2013

The public’s predictions on immigration, gun control bills this year

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.