It is incorrect to suggest that gun violence may be “the most polarizing subject in the country” [“With anti-gun-violence ad, NBA acts on polarizing issue,” front-page, Feb. 9]. The National Basketball Association and Spike Lee deserve credit for their roles in mobilizing players to speak out against gun violence. But referring to gun violence as a “divisive” or “volatile” issue falls right into the hands of gun manufacturers and extremists, who are the only ones who benefit from the status quo on gun policy.

A large majority of Americans, including gun owners, support stronger policies to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Eighty-five percent of gun owners and 83 percent of non-owners favor requiring background checks on all gun sales, and 78 percent of gun owners and 80 percent of non-owners support prohibiting a person subject to a temporary domestic restraining order from having a gun.

In fact, when we poll Americans, we find that a large majority favor a range of gun-safety policies, often with little difference between gun owners and non-owners and between Democrats and Republicans.

Politicians and journalists should recognize that most policies relevant to gun violence are widely popular across cultural and party lines.

Colleen Barry and Alicia Samuels, Baltimore

The writers are, respectively, a faculty member and director of communications at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.