Gun Control Support Grows In the United States: Gallup Poll

NEW YORK, NY — After 58 people were killed and more than 500 wounded at a Las Vegas shooting earlier this month, gun control advocates called for greater restrictions on firearms and deadly accessories in response to the tragedy. According to a recent poll from Gallup, American voters may be more likely to embrace gun control measures than before.

About 60 percent of Americans say they support tougher gun laws, up from 55 percent in 2016. Support for gun control hasn't been as high since 2004.

"Public opinion typically shifts in the aftermath of a traumatic national event such as a mass shooting," writes Megan Brenan of Gallup. "Shortly after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, support for stricter gun laws jumped to 58%."

Prior to that shooting in 2011, support for gun laws was at about 43 percent. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

It's not just support for gun control measures that has increased. Support for an assault rifle ban, which restricts access to semi-automatic weapons, increased from 36 percent to 48 percent between 2016 and 2017.

Support for banning handguns, while still quite low, jumped from 23 percent to 28 percent, according to Gallup.

The Las Vegas shooter used a semi-automatic weapon, but one that was modified with a "bump stock." Bump stocks are mechanical add-ons to semi-automatic guns that essentially convert them into automatic weapons, which allow shooters to hold down the trigger and unleash a continuous spray of bullets.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, has advocated a ban on bump stocks for years. After the Las Vegas shooting, some Republican lawmakers, as well as the National Rifle Association, suggested they support stronger regulation on bump stocks.

Read the full report at Gallup>>

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