Do You Know Where America Stands On Guns?

It seems almost routine. There’s a high-profile mass shooting, followed by a week or two of fierce debate around gun policy. (And usually no legislative change.)

When it comes to the specific policy debates, where does the American public stand? This is normally where we’d answer that question for you, but why should we do all the work?

How well do you know how Americans feel about guns? Let’s start with the basics. (Keep in mind: This all comes from polling1 conducted after the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.)

What share of Americans support stricter gun laws? More support Less support 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 46% Dem. Avg. 87% Guess The takeaway: Americans’ support of gun laws is known to increase in the aftermath of a mass shooting, so these numbers may decrease as time (hopefully) passes without another incident. That said, some of these polls — including the CNN poll and the Quinnipiac Poll — are registering the highest support for stricter gun laws that they’ve tracked in recent years. That’s including polls taken in the immediate aftermath of previous shootings, such as those in Las Vegas and Orlando.

Next, let’s look at particular measures that have been floated by lawmakers and see what the public has to say about them:

Getting a gun Roughly 1 in 3 Americans2 already owns a gun, but several policy proposals look at limiting future purchases. Here’s where guessing support gets a bit trickier. What share of Americans support raising the minimum purchase age to 21? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 67% Dem. Avg. 86% Guess What share of Americans support background checks for all gun purchases? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 84% Dem. Avg. 92% Guess What share of Americans support blocking gun sales to people with a history of mental illness? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 87% Dem. Avg. 88% Guess The takeaway: Despite strong resistance to gun control legislation from Republican politicians, the public is often united in support of some proposals that restrict new gun purchases for certain people.3

One proposal — pushed by President Trump — has garnered more attention than in the past: arming teachers. What share of Americans support arming teachers? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 72% Dem. Avg. 17% Guess The takeaway: People are divided on whether teachers should carry guns — a majority of Republicans support the policy, and a majority of Democrats oppose it.

Banning guns Other policies that have been hotly debated would involve removing guns from circulation. Let’s see what America’s appetite is for this kind of legislation. What share of Americans support banning assault weapons? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 43% Dem. Avg. 81% Guess What share of Americans support banning high-capacity ammunition magazines? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual polls Gop Avg. 53% Dem. Avg. 84% Guess What share of Americans support outlawing all guns? 0 25 50 75 100 50% Avg. Individual poll Gop Avg. 5% Dem. Avg. 15% Guess The takeaway: There are splits between Democrats and Republicans, but on average there’s more support than opposition for banning particular types of weaponry. However, members of both parties still overwhelmingly support the right to own guns.

Political proposals can seem abstract, but gun laws can also be a deeply personal issue. A majority of Americans in the polls we analyzed say they personally worry about themselves or loved ones falling victim to gun violence. While it’s clear that Americans can agree on at least some proposals to change gun laws, so far after each mass shooting, Congress hasn’t enacted any meaningful legislation. Higher-than-usual support in the polls for some stricter gun laws and persisting media attention and public interest in gun control in the wake of Parkland suggest that this time might be different. Still, the most recent polling shows that about half of the country believes the chances of stricter gun laws passing Congress are poor.