The number of Americans who want stricter gun control laws in place has fallen to the lowest total in seven years, according to a new poll from Gallup.
A slim majority of Americans, 52%, say they favor stricter gun laws, compared to 35% who prefer things stay about the same and 11% who want less restrictions. The high-point in Gallup’s tracking on the question came in 1990, when 78% of Americans favored more restrictions on guns.
Only 19 percent of Americans support banning the possession of handguns, down six points from 2020 and 41 points from 1961. https://t.co/dYeZdK2z8f
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) November 18, 2021
The decrease this year was driven by Republicans and independents. Support for stricter measures among the former group fell by 14 points to just 22%, the lowest rate on record, and 15% fewer Independents expressed support for tightening controls on guns.
Support for banning the possession of handguns in the United States also reached an all-time low, with just 19% of Americans saying they’d back such a policy. That’s down from a peak of 60% in 1959, when Gallup began asking the question. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: Amid Calls To Defund Police, Women And Minorities Just Keep Stocking Up On Guns)
Gallup polled a random sample of 823 adults, 290 of which were gun owners, with a margin of error of four points.