About a fifth of Americans say either themselves, a family member, or a close friend has had an experience with gun violence in the past five years, and even more believe it is likely they will be a victim of gun violence in the next five years, according to a new UChicago Harris/AP-NORC Poll. There are significant racial and ethnic disparities, with Black Americans four times as likely and Hispanic Americans twice as likely to report recent experience with gun violence when compared with white Americans.
Three-fourths of Americans view gun violence as a major problem, and 8 in 10 say gun violence is on the rise in the United States, although fewer believe it is increasing in their community.
Many Americans hold intersecting priorities, as they want to both prevent gun violence and protect gun rights. In particular, 52% say it is both very important to prevent mass shootings and very important to ensure people are able to own guns for personal protection. CONTINUED
UChicago Harris/AP-NORC Poll
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