Majority of Americans Support Stricter Gun Laws

A Gallup poll released today shows that 55 percent of Americans now “feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict.” That number is up from 47 percent in 2014, signifying a dramatic increase in support of gun responsibility.

It seems that independent voters have changed their minds the most on this issue. 56 percent of independents now favor stricter gun laws, an 11 point jump (45 percent) from the previous year.

Unsurprisingly, Democratic support grew by six percent (up to 77 percent), while Republicans continue to hate the idea of stricter gun laws (27 percent).

Interestingly, the status quo no longer seems to be an acceptable policy position when it comes to guns. Only 33 percent of Americans think our gun laws should be “kept as they are,” a sign that Republican apathy on gun violence may be unsatisfactory to many American voters – particularly those independents who are becoming more open to stricter gun laws. Even if you add the 11 percent of Americans who think gun laws should be made less strict, stronger gun legislation leads the “do nothing crowd” 55 to 44 percent.

Get ready for gun legislation to be a defining topic of the 2016 presidential race. If last week’s Democratic debate was any indication, Republicans better get ready for the eventual Democratic nominee to bring this issue to the forefront of American minds.