Fewer Americans support assault weapon ban: survey

Less than half of Americans in a new Monmouth University Poll said they’ll support an assault weapons ban in the country, down from a similar poll taken last year.

The poll, published on Monday, found that 46 percent of respondents said they’d support the banning of future assault weapons sales in the country, while 49 percent of those surveyed said they would oppose a ban.

That marks a nine-point drop from the 55 percent of respondents who supported a ban in a June 2022 poll, which came in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, in which a teenage gunman with an AR-15 style rifle shot dead 19 students and two teachers.

This year has again seen a deadly string of mass shootings, including a shooting at a Christian school last month that left three students and three adults dead. The shooter had three guns, including an AR-15-style rifle, and reportedly fired 152 rounds during the attack.

The new poll found majority support for some other gun control measures.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they’ll support a federal red flag law that would allow police to temporarily take away the guns of someone who poses a threat to themselves or others. And 81 percent said they would support a measure requiring comprehensive background checks for all gun purchasers.

Asked whether U.S. states should be allowed to limit who can carry a concealed weapon by requiring permit applicants to demonstrate they need the weapon for their current employment or protection, 56 percent of respondents said yes.

This year has already seen 173 mass shootings, according to the gun violence archive, including an attack on a bank in Louisville, Ky., earlier this month in which five people died.

Democrats are once against pushing for legislation to address gun violence in Congress; however, Republicans remain largely opposed to those efforts.

Some efforts are being pursued at the state level.

Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order in the wake of the Nashville school shooting strengthening background checks for gun purchases.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed several gun safety measures into law earlier this month after recent shootings at Oxford High School and Michigan State University. 

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted from March 16 to 20, with 805 respondents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error was 5.8 percentage points.