Do Americans Now Support Gun Control Reform? What The Latest Polls Show

New poll numbers indicate that more and more Americans now support stricter gun control laws. According to the Pew Research Center, a survey conducted in September found that 60% of respondents favored stronger gun laws. This is up considerably from 57% in 2018, and 52% in 2017.

Breaking things down, data suggests that opinions on gun control still vary wildly along party lines. Roughly 86% of Democrats and liberal-leaning independents supported stricter gun laws, while only 31% of Republicans and conservative-leaning independents said the same.

Gun control has been among the most debated topics in American culture in politics, especially since mass shootings became a more and more common occurrence in the country. Recent tragedies, including the shooting in El Paso and Dayton which occurred on the same day, have only pushed the issue further into the spotlight as major elections loom in 2020.

As NPR notes, the survey shows strong support in both political parties for barring individuals with histories of mental illnesses from purchasing firearms. There is similar support for subjecting private and convention sales to background checks.

Parties differ on the subject of high-capacity ammo clips and assault weapons. Per the survey, close to nine out of 10 Democrats support banning the sale of these controversial items, while only half of Republicans support such a measure.