Republican support for gun restrictions dips: survey

Support among Republicans for restrictions on guns has dipped a year after Congress passed the bipartisan gun safety bill, according to a poll released Friday.

Only 32 percent of Republicans surveyed now say they want more expansive legislation on guns, which is down from 49 percent in July 2022, The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found. Independents’ support for more expansive legislation also dropped from 72 percent last year to 61 percent in the new survey.

Among Democrats, 92 percent currently want stronger gun laws, consistent with polling in July 2022.

The U.S. has topped more than 400 mass shootings so far in 2023.

The poll also found bipartisan support for enforcing background checks on all potential gun buyers. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans were in favor of it, as were 93 percent of Democrats.

Additionally, there is even stronger bipartisan support for preventing mass shootings. Eighty-five percent of all Americans say it’s important to prevent mass shootings, including 95 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans.

The poll released Friday also found that 7 in 10 Americans are in favor of courts preventing people who are considered a danger and haven’t been convicted of a crime from owning a gun. Almost 6 in 10 of those surveyed — 58 percent — want to ban the sale of AR-15-style rifles, and 42 percent said they would support a law to let trained teachers and administrators carry guns at schools.

The bipartisan gun safety bill that passed last summer was the most far-reaching gun violence prevention legislation in decades. The legislation enhanced background checks for gun purchasers younger than 21, made obtaining firearms through trafficking a federal offense, clarified the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer, allocated $750 million to help states administer red flag laws, and aimed to close the so-called boyfriend loophole.

Earlier this month, President Biden’s reelection campaign received endorsements from four major gun safety groups, including Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady and Team ENOUGH, Community Justice Action Fund and Giffords.

The survey released on Friday included 1,165 adults and was conducted Aug. 10-14. It has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.