Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Gun Policy

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

Key facts about Americans and guns

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.

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For Most U.S. Gun Owners, Protection Is the Main Reason They Own a Gun

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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    A Year After Columbine Public Looks To Parents More Than Schools To Prevent Violence

    Introduction and Summary A year after the massacre at Colorado’s Columbine High School, the vast majority of the public believes it is the responsibility of parents to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated. In fact, a plurality identifies poor parenting — not peer pressure or violence in the media — as the primary cause […]

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