A Gallup poll released on Wednesday found people are more likely to oppose a ban on assault weapons now than at any time over the past two decades, in the wake of a growing number of terrorist attacks and mass shootings over the last few years.
A little over one-in-three people would support a law making it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles, according to a Gallup poll conducted Oct. 5-9. Support for banning this type of firearm peaked in 2000 at nearly 60 percent, a few years after former Democratic President Bill Clinton signed a federal assault weapons ban in 1994.
But since that ban expired in 2004, support for such legislation has fallen. Opposition to restrictions on the production and distribution of these weapons has increased from 42 percent in 1996 to 61 percent today.
Although assault rifles were used in major domestic attacks, including San Bernardino, Calif.; Orlando; Aurora, Col.; and Newtown, Conn., the public’s attitude on the issue has evolved as political parties have.
Half of those who identified as Republican supported the ban in prior years, compared to about a quarter of Republicans today. Democrats have become increasingly reluctant to support banning assault weapons, from 63 percent in 1996 to just half now. The Democratic Party’s shrinking interest in tightening these gun laws may indicate why progressive lawmakers have been unable to push through legislation over the past few years, in addition to the GOP majority in both chambers.
The survey was conducted by cell phone and landline telephones with 1,017 U.S. adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error for the total sample of national adults was 4 percent.
