Roughly nine in 10 Americans (91%) say they would vote for a law requiring criminal background checks for all U.S. gun purchasers. The U.S. Senate considered legislation last week that would have expanded background checks for gun purchases: 54 senators voted yes; 46 voted no. Because 60 votes were needed to advance the background check bill, the bill failed.
Although the legislation the Senate considered last week was much more complicated (more on this below) than the concept embodied in a simple survey question, the fact remains that the Senate did not engage in voting behavior that seemingly would be in line with the views of 90% of the U.S. public. [cont.]
Frank Newport, Gallup
Recent polls: Guns