From: Gun owners’ assessment of gun safety policy: their underlying principles and detailed opinions
Principle | Overall (%) | Gender | Age group (years) | Political affiliation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male (%) | Female (%) | 18–29 (%) | 30–44 (%) | 45–59 (%) | 60 + (%) | Democrat (%) | Independent (%) | Republican (%) | ||
People convicted of a violent crime should not be able to purchase or possess a gun | 80.7 (77.6–83.6) | 81.0 | 79.3 | 72.6 | 78.2 | 80.8 | 86.9 | 82.4 | 70.6 | 83.3 |
One of the primary goals of gun laws should be to keep guns out of the hands of people who are at high risk of violence, while allowing law-abiding citizens to obtain guns | 80.5 (77.2–83.3) | 79.0 | 82.3 | 67.4 | 81.3 | 77.5 | 88.6 | 86.0 | 67.7 | 81.4 |
Owning a gun for self-defense is a fundamental constitutional right | 82.9 (79.7–85.6) | 85.8 | 79.2 | 68.4 | 83.6 | 86.6 | 86.5 | 71.2 | 69.1 | 95.3 |
The right to own a gun is absolute and cannot be altered in any way | 36.5 (32.9–40.2) | 41.4 | 30.4 | 32.8 | 32.9 | 40.4 | 38.3 | 22.3 | 31.6 | 47.5 |
Like free speech, the right to own a gun is constitutionally protected, but there are exceptions to this right | 77 (73.6–80.1) | 79.0 | 74.4 | 67.7 | 72.0 | 79.7 | 83.7 | 78.0 | 60.5 | 82.3 |
I am concerned about the increase in gun-related homicides and gun crimes in cities | 65.5 (61.7–69.1) | 63.8 | 67.5 | 49.6 | 54.3 | 66.0 | 82.4 | 79.8 | 49.2 | 61.7 |
I am concerned about the frequency of mass shootings | 71.2 (67.5–74.6) | 68.2 | 74.9 | 53.6 | 67.0 | 71.9 | 83.0 | 88.3 | 60.3 | 63.7 |
I am concerned about the frequency of school shootings | 74.6 (71.0–78.0) | 72.7 | 77.1 | 54.4 | 71.8 | 75.6 | 86.3 | 89.7 | 66.1 | 67.8 |
I want to help find a way to reduce gun deaths and injuries | 70.1 (66.3–73.6) | 67.7 | 73.1 | 56.8 | 69.0 | 71.2 | 76.8 | 85.4 | 58.4 | 64.1 |