Poll Says Gun Rights Supporters Fund Their Cause; Opponents Don't
A Pew Research Center survey on gun laws shows overwhelming support among Americans on a few issues, like closing the so-called gun show loophole; a wide partisan split on more contentious measures, like banning assault weapons; and a glimpse into why the nation's gun lobby may be so successful.
The survey results, released on the same day President Obama received recommendations from Vice President Biden and his guns task force, found near universal support for one item expected to be on Biden's list: requiring background checks before private gun sales and those at gun shows. That was supported by 85 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats.
The survey also found 80 percent of Americans across the political spectrum want to tighten laws to prevent people with mental illness from buying a gun.
"But this bipartisan consensus breaks down when it comes to other proposals," Pew noted. "Two-thirds of Americans (67%) favor creating a federal database to track gun sales, but there is a wide partisan divide between Democrats (84%) and Republicans (49%). A smaller majority of the public (55%) favors a ban on assault-style weapons; Democrats (69%) also are far more likely than Republicans (44%) to support this. Similar partisan divides exist when it comes to banning high-capacity ammunition clips or the sale of ammunition online."