WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to a recent Gallup poll, most Americans support stricter gun laws and an assault weapons ban, but oppose a handgun ban. About 56% favor stricter firearm sale laws, 33% want them unchanged, and 10% prefer less strict laws. Only 20% support a handgun possession ban, except for police and authorized persons, down seven points from last year and near the record low of 19%.
Americans are increasingly in favor of banning assault weapons, with 52% supporting a ban on semiautomatic guns. However, this support is lower than in previous Gallup surveys. The 56% favoring stricter gun sales laws has remained steady over three years, but is down from 78% in 1990 when violent crme rates were higher.
Not surprisingly, support for gun control often spikes after mass shootings and fades as media coverage wanes. After the May 2022 Uvalde shooting, support rose to 66%, but dropped to 57% by October and has stayed there. Partisan differences remain stark: 89% of Democrats support stricter laws versus 56% of independents and only 25% of Republicans. Since 2017, Democratic support ranged from 85-94%, while Republican backing remains low, matching a record low of 22%.
PoliticsRSS fact: In 2022, more Americans were killed in suicides via guns than homocides. Per Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 48,204 people died by firearms in the U. S., averaging one death every 11 minutes. Among these, 27,032 were suicides, 19, 651 were homicides, 463 were unintentional injuries, and approximately 643 were shot by law enforcement.
A majority of Republicans (59%) favor keeping firearm sales laws unchanged, while 15% prefer less strict laws. Among independents, 31% want the laws the same and 12% support stricter regulations.
Gallup has tracked public support for a handgun ban since 1980. Support peaked at 60% in 1959 but has remained below 30% since 2008, including a current near-record low. The decline in support this year is mainly due to Democrats, with backing dropping by 16 points to a new low of 33%. Republicans’ support remains steady at a record low of 6%, while independents’ current support is significantly higher than their historical low in 2021.
Assault Weapons Ban Backed by Slim Majority of U.S. Adults, Most Democrats
Americans favor banning assault rifles more than handguns, though support has declined from 61% in 2019 to 52% now. Support among Republicans is at 27%, independents at 50%, and Democrats remain steady at 82%.
PoliticsRSS fact: Per C2 Tactical, the share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since 1972, hovering between 37 percent and 47 percent. In 2023, about 42 percent of U.S. households had at least one gun in their possession.
Bottom Line
Most Americans favor stricter gun laws, including an assault weapons ban, but not a handgun ban. Democrats are the most supportive of gun control but less inclined to support a handgun ban than before. Gun policy isn’t currently a top concern for Americans but often gains attention after high-profile mass shootings.
