The politics of gun safety has confounded the country for decades. Poll after poll finds solid support for background checks, banning assault rifles, and even licensing. And yet, since the 1994 congressional elections, most in Congress have been wary of passing tough legislation.
Measures to improve background checks for gun ownership are backed by almost the entire public. The last time we polled it in the Harvard-Harris Poll in March 2018, 90 percent favored it. Closing loopholes in background checks is not a controversial issue — it is an issue of national consensus.
Despite this widespread public sentiment, the gun issue has been frozen since President Bill Clinton passed the Brady Bill and the assault rifle ban. The blocker has been that, with about 40 percent of all households owning guns, motivated gun owners in low-turnout midterm elections have had an outsized influence in flipping swing districts. CONT.
Mark Penn (Stagwell Group), The Hill
Recent polls: Guns