Some delegates at the convention in Philadelphia said they welcomed attention to the issue.

“Guns have been a public health crisis for a very long time and should be treated as such,” said Adrian Mapp, a Clinton delegate from New Jersey. “Guns have no place in our neighborhoods, on our streets, and it is time that at both the local and the national level that there be comprehensive gun reform and that our elected members of Congress do what must be done in order to rid our communities of weapons of mass destruction, which have created a public health hazard.”

Martha Allen, a Sanders delegate from Vermont, criticized her state’s lax gun laws. “We are losing too many people to guns, either because they are imprisoned and turn into having mental health issues once they’re in jail, or people are being killed or maimed,” she said.

Paul Huntley, a Sanders delegate from California, said he wanted “common-sense solutions to the problem that include gun-safety legislation, maybe looking at smart guns, trigger locks and restricting the use of military-style rifles.”

Gun control is a very popular topic with Democratic voters. In 2014, Pew found that “about twice as many Democrats and Democratic leaners said it was more important to control gun ownership (65%) than to protect gun rights (31%).” But since 2007, Republicans have become increasingly devoted to protecting gun rights ― the share of Republicans saying “it is more important to protect gun rights” increased by 28 points over that time.