Public opinion on gun control in the United States

In the 1990s, public support for gun control led then-president Bill Clinton to sign into law the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which remained in force for ten years thereafter before expiring.

The bill enacted makes a person subject to a background check when they are trying to purchase a firearm from a federal dealer, manufacturer, and also an importer.

The horrific loss of life of an elementary school student could certainly spark a public backlash calling for policy changes.

The survey posed the question, "[W]hat do you believe is of greater significance - safeguarding the rights of Americans to possess firearms or regulating gun ownership?"

[5] A poll conducted by CBS News and New York Times in October 2015 found that 92% of Americans supported "universal background checks for all gun sales".

[6] Pew Research Center poll in August 2015 can be looked at as well for asking surveyors based on partisan lines about background checks for gun shows and private sales.

[7] This bipartisan view also is expanded upon for barring mentally ill stricken people from obtaining a firearm, with Democrats being 81% and Republicans being 79% in favor of this gun control proposal.

[11] A 2018 study looking at a January 2017 survey results find "For 23 of the 24 policies examined, most respondents supported restricting or regulating gun ownership.

"[12] On October 11, 2017, ten days after a mass shooting in Las Vegas killed 58 people, a Politico/Morning Consult poll was released.

[16] The results that stemmed from the basis of partisan lines was that Republicans (69%) supported the measure and between Democrats (71%) opposed having guns with teachers and officials in schools.

[17] The events led to students across the nation showing their solidarity by walking out of their individual high schools and marching with the survivors.

The same bill proposed creating a program which allows teachers who have successfully completed law enforcement training and are deputized by the local county sheriff to carry weapons that are concealed within the classroom, if approved by the school district.

[27] During the protest, students from different schools took part in many acts of remembrance such as: holding a moment of silence, reading out the names of the victims, or spelling out the rallying cry of the movement—"Enough."

Twitter user Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Stoneman Douglas shooting, cited this incident as part of a pattern, saying "Now, we have 8 more children dead and our leadership in Washington has done nothing.

A round table hosted by Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, involving students, politicians, and activists, focused less on gun control than on "greater police presence on school campuses and improved strategies to deal with mental health problems".

[30] In greater response to the Stoneman Douglas through an article of CNN that was updated June 13, 2018 there has been a growth in states to respond in how they will control guns in the future.

States such as New York, Florida, Nebraska, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois, Vermont, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to expand on gun control measures.

[31] These measures range from state to state on banning bump stocks, stricter mental health checks, using the legal age to buy a weapon to 21, restricting standard-capacity firearm magazines to 15 or 10 rounds, and even the measure of city ordinances banning assault style weapons.

Many states have started passing legislation to change gun control in America which has led to an increased debate about the topic.

[37][38] According to a Pew Research Center poll, "roughly half of Americans (53%) favor stricter gun laws, which was a decline since 2019".

Measures supported by the majority of respondents included criminal background checks (87%), mental health evaluations of prospective gun owners (80%), a 30-day waiting period for every purchase (77%), and a law against civilian ownership of semiautomatic weapons (61%).

[46][47] According to joint polls published by CNN and the SSRS Institute: 64% of Americans support stricter gun control laws, 36% oppose it.