Memo: Gun Violence Prevention

Matt Deitsch, Data for Progress Senior Fellow; Andrew Mangan, Data for Progress Senior Editor.

In 2017, firearms killed 39,773 Americans. This is more than the population of Atlantic City. Despite this clear and overwhelming tragedy, the issue of guns is often called a “third rail” in American politics, with a dominant media narrative suggesting that the issue “divides” Americans. And yet, in this poll of registered voters (fielded September 13–16, 2019, by YouGov), we found that several gun-control policies are very popular with voters, with support shared across “the divide.”

Executive Summary

  • A ban on assault weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines, a ban on 3D-printed guns, and a voluntary gun buyback all have more than 65 percent support among the general public.

  • Self-identified conservatives under the age of thirty generally support progressive legislation on guns.

  • Sixty percent of respondents supported a policy requiring all gun owners to be licensed, with only 16 percent saying they were “strongly opposed.”

  • A large, bipartisan majority of respondents (84 percent) supported a policy allocating funds to create community intervention programs.

Sean McElweeJustice