Pew poll: Support for gun rights exceeds gun control

For the first time in over 20 years, Americans support gun rights more than gun control.

In a Pew Research poll released Wednesday, 52 percent are in support of the protection of gun rights and 46 percent support gun control. This is the first time in two decades that Pew has found more support for gun rights than gun control.


Backing for gun rights has been on the rise since January 2013, when it had 45 percent supporting protections. During that time period, support for gun control also fell from 51 percent to its current standing.

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Fifty-seven percent of those polled said that owning a gun allows for greater protection against crime. Thirty-eight percent said owning a gun is dangerous for personal safety.

Support for gun rights is found mostly among whites, with 61 percent of white Americans backing protections. Gun control is more popular among minorities, gaining 60 percent of black support and 71 percent of Hispanic support. But more than half of the black population polled for the survey — 54 percent — said that guns protect the lives of their owners rather than endanger them.

The survey was conducted between Dec. 3-7 among 1,507 adults and has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.