After the devastating mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York last month, a new poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist shows that most American adults now believe gun violence is more important than controlling To protect gun rights.
“Nearly four out of ten Americans said they or a loved one has been a victim of gun violence, the proportion of American adults who think gun violence (59%) is more important than protecting gun rights (35 %) is at its highest point in nearly a decade,” writes the poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 adults between May 31 and June 6.
“The recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde are top of mind for most Americans. Nationally, more than seven out of ten adults report these incidents, raising the prospect of elections in November. Gun reforms build consensus among American voters who say they are more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who supports these measures.
Unsurprisingly, the poll found a sharp partisan divide, as 92 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents say controlling gun violence is more important, while 70 percent of Republicans say protecting the right to bear arms is more important. .
Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement that recent high-profile “mass shootings have again put the debate about gun safety on the table for decision-makers.”
He continued: “One side calls for greater gun restrictions while the other believes this is a mental health issue. The findings say Americans want to address both.”
The poll comes after a separate poll conducted by USA Today/Ipsos showed that half of Republicans—a fifteen percentage point jump from last year—now support stricter gun laws. In contrast, the poll, which sampled 488 Democrats, 416 Republicans and 149 independents in early June, revealed that nearly 90 percent of Democrats support strict gun laws, while independents came in at 67 percent.
Overall, 69 percent of respondents believe gun laws should be stricter than they are today, with 44 percent saying they should be “very” strict.
The House on Wednesday passed a comprehensive gun control bill called the Protecting Our Kids Act, which raises the legal age from eighteen to twenty-one years old to buy certain semi-automatic centerfire rifles, for gun smuggling and for mass selling. Establishes new federal offenses. -Capacity Magazines, enables local governments to compensate individuals who surrender such magazines through a buyback program, and takes steps to strengthen existing federal regulations on bump stock and ghost guns.
On Thursday, the House voted to pass a federal “red flag” bill that would allow guns to be temporarily confiscated from people who are deemed by a federal court to be a danger to themselves or others.
However, the bills are not expected to pass the Senate due to widespread Republican opposition to tighter gun controls.
Ethan Kim Lizard is a Washington State-based finance and technical editor who has held positions at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, Asian Week and Arirang TV. follow or contact him linkedin,
Image: Reuters.
