More Republicans Want Stricter Gun Laws Poll Finds—But History Suggests
The mass shooting Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed at least 19 children and two adults has caused a surge of support for stricter gun measures, a new Morning Consult/Politico poll finds, though past polling indicates support for gun control laws typically spikes after a mass shooting—and swiftly falls afterward.49%. That’s the share of Republicans that backed stricter gun laws after the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017, according to Morning Consult’s polling (versus 64% of voters overall), which marks the highest level of Republican support for more stringent regulations since at least 2015. By February 2018 (after the Parkland shooting), the GOP’s support had already fallen to 45%, and it was down to 34% by March 2021. The Morning Consult/Politico poll found 86% of Republicans strongly or somewhat support background checks for all gun sales (versus 88% of all respondents), 73% imposing a mandatory three-day waiting period for gun sales (80% overall), 63% implementing a national database of gun sales (75% overall), and 53% banning high-capacity magazines (69% overall). At least 75% of Republicans also favor barring gun sales for people on the no-fly list, those who a mental health provider has deemed “dangerous” and those convicted of violent misdemeanors. Fewer Republicans were in favor of a ban on assault weapons (49% support), banning guns from workplace settings (38% support) and banning guns from universities and schools (50%). That support is largely in line with other polling from 2021, suggesting Republicans’ feelings on specific measures doesn’t fluctuate as much as their overall support on stricter gun laws. Whether Congress will harness the surge in gun control support to take action before the nation moves on from the latest mass shootings. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he won’t force a vote this week on legislation expanding background checks that’s already passed the House, given the likelihood the bills will fail in the evenly-divided Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has directed Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to start negotiations on more bipartisan legislation, however, McConnell told CNN Thursday. The suspect in the Uvalde shooting purchased two rifles legally days before the attack right after his 18th birthday, according to law enforcement, and authorities believe he used high-capacity magazines holding 30 rounds of ammunition that some gun control proposals would outlaw. The Buffalo shooting also involved an 18-year-old suspect who purchased the firearm used in the attack legally, but the suspect has said he also illegally modified the weapon to use high-capacity magazines that are outlawed in New York. All data is taken from the source: http://forbes.com Article Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondu... #gun #newsworld #newstodayheadlines #bbcworldnewstoday #newstodayoncnn #newstodaymsnbc #
