A new poll found that a majority of Americans across all demographic groups surveyed support so-called “red flag” laws.
The laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders, allow family members or police to seek a court order to temporarily take guns from an individual believed to be a threat to themselves or others. The APM Research Lab poll found that more than three-fourths of all Americans support family-initiated ERPOs, while 70% support police-initiated ERPOs.
Among Republicans, 70% support family-initiated ERPOs, and 66% support the orders if they are initiated by police. Of Democrats, 85% and 78% support family- and police-initiated ERPOs, respectively.
The survey was conducted just before the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, which killed a combined total of 31 people. About 1,000 people were polled with an overall 3.4% margin of error.
In the wake of the shootings, President Trump signaled support for “red flag laws.”
“We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process,” Trump said during a White House address. “That is why I have called for ‘red flag’ laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.”
[Also read: Democrats move on gun control: House due to vote on banning high-capacity magazines]
