The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted from May 12-18, 2023, finds that 86% of American adults support U.S. Congress mandating background checks for all firearm sales and transfers.
Nearly three-quarters support Congress requiring gun owners to take a test, obtain a license, and register their firearms, similar to the process of owning an automobile.
A bipartisan majority of Americans supported two of those policies, universal background checks and gun licensing. An assault weapons ban also received majority support, but support and opposition were far more partisan. Nearly half of Americans support eliminating current gun laws and protecting the Second Amendment, also split along party lines.
Partisan agreement on background checks and licensing
Support for universal background checks and gun licensing is bipartisan. Over 90% of Democrats support both provisions, as do a majority of Republicans. Eighty percent of Republicans support universal background checks and 54% support gun licensing.
The other two provisions are split by party: An overwhelming majority of Democrats (90%) support a congressional ban on assault weapons, while a majority of Republicans (59%) oppose it. On the other hand, a majority of most Republicans (54%) support eliminating most current gun laws to protect Second Amendment rights, while two-thirds of Democrats are opposed.
Second Amendment supporters’ views on gun policies
It is noteworthy that the three firearm-restricting provisions included in this poll are supported by a majority of those who support eliminating “most current gun laws in order to…
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