Despite the Obama administration’s hopes for gun-control legislation in 2014, a recent survey has found that 7-in-10 Americans would prefer to reside somewhere where residents can have a firearm for self defense, demonstrating that support for more stringent gun laws continues to fade.
According to a new poll from Rasmussen, 68 percent of those surveyed said they feel safer living in a community where residents can own a gun. A mere 23 percent, however, said they would feel safer living somewhere where nobody was permitted to own a gun.
The survey, which focused on gun control, sought to analyze the public’s stance on firearms. Fifty-nine percent of those polled said they favored a ban on assault weapons, while only 18 percent preferred handguns to be prohibited, too.
Rasmussen’s findings come just a day before the Obama administration issued two new executive actions on the federal background check system. The orders make it easier for states to relay mental health information to the National Instant Background Check System. But the White House’s announcement also reasserts gun control as a key component of President Obama’s agenda for 2014. Few, however, expect there to be much progress in terms of gun control legislation.
After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the White House and Senate Democrats made gun control a top priority. However, legislation passed in neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate.
According to The Washington Examiner, support for stricter gun laws reached its height at 52 percent in February. Since then, though, support has waned. Seventy-three percent favor stricter enforcement of current gun laws, and 47 percent disagree with the claim that the country needs stricter gun laws, a Rasmussen poll from October found.
Rasmussen Reports surveyed 1,000 likely voters nationwide from December 29-30, 2013. The margin of error for the study is +/- 3 percentage points at a 95 percent level of confidence.
