Vanderbilt Poll: Majority don't support gun control measures

Allowing Tennesseans with permits to bring handguns into parks or buy guns without a background check isn't supported by the majority of Tennessee voters polled in the latest edition of the Vanderbilt Poll.

At the same time, the poll doesn't show overwhelming support for measures like banning guns within 250 feet of a school or banning guns on any property owned, used or operated by a school.

The Vanderbilt Poll, conducted regularly by Vanderbilt University, asked 1,001 registered Tennessee voters about a variety of gun-related issues:

50 percent of respondents support banning guns within 250 feet of a school. Most of that support comes from Democrats — 59 percent — with only 46 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of self-identified Tea Party members supporting the idea.

44 percent of respondents support allowing people to have firearms in public parks. Only 20 percent of Democrats support this idea, compared to 50 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Tea Party members.

42 percent of respondents support banning guns on any property owned, used or operated by a school. Nearly half of Democratic respondents support the plan, while only 39 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of Tea Party members support the ban.

Few Tennesseans, regardless of party, support allowing Tennesseans to carry guns without a permit or to purchase a gun without a background check. While 44 percent of Tea Party members support doing away with permits, only 21 percent of overall respondents support the idea. Only 16 percent of Tea Party members support doing away with background checks, with only 9 percent of overall respondents supporting the idea.

The General Assembly drew attention, and some criticism, for a measure that nixes any local bans on people with permits taking guns into parks. It also faced criticism after twice voting against Insure Tennessee, the governor's controversial health insurance plan.

"Overall, there is more support among registered voters for Insure Tennessee than there was for the issues we asked about related to relaxing gun control in the state," said Josh Clinton, professor of political science and co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, in a news release.

"In fact, only members of the Tea Party – who are 15 percent of the registered voters in the state according to our most recent poll – were noticeably more supportive of the gun legislation that was passed than they were of Insure Tennessee."

The poll was conducted between April 23 and May 9 by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.