Gun-Control Support Drops Amid Growing Crime and Firearm Purchases

Americans’ support for stricter gun-control measures has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, according to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup.

The results of the October survey come as the number of violent crimes, including murder, has risen and after Americans purchased a record number of guns in 2020.

According to the poll, 52% of U.S. adults say they want stricter gun laws—down from 67% in 2018 after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., left 17 people dead. Democrats overwhelmingly support stricter measures in the recent survey, while 24% of Republicans do; 11% of U.S. adults polled say they want less-restrictive laws.

The percentage of Americans who support a ban on the possession of handguns fell to 19%, the lowest rate ever recorded by Gallup. Support peaked at 60% when Gallup first asked the question in 1959. The highest recorded rates of support that Gallup found for stricter gun-control laws were in the 1990s.