What do Americans really think about regulating guns? A popular, long-running Pew poll asking Americans to choose whether gun “rights” or gun “control” are more important suggests a wide schism in public opinion on gun laws. But Colleen Barry, a public policy scholar at Johns Hopkins, couldn’t find an up-to-date […] Read more »
Americans Supportive but Skeptical on Obama’s Gun Action
The American public is broadly supportive of the executive actions issued by President Barack Obama this week aimed at increasing the reach of federal background checks for gun purchases and improving enforcement of existing laws. However, less than half say that these changes will be effective at reducing gun-related deaths, […] Read more »
Explaining Trump: Widespread Government Corruption
It’s been fashionable to make jokes about Congress’ historically low approval ratings, unbelievable incompetence in the government and now, unfortunately, the perception of widespread government corruption. Pundits and talk-radio hosts have a field day with this. So do late-night comics. It’s not funny anymore. CONT. Jim Clifton, Gallup Read more »
Most Americans Agree With Obama That More Gun Buyers Should Get Background Checks
When President Obama announces today — a little over a month after 14 people died in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California — that he is bypassing Congress with executive actions to tighten access to guns, he will lead with a measure that strengthens an astonishingly, consistently, overwhelmingly popular […] Read more »
Views on Gun Control: A Polling Summary
The president’s executive actions on gun control target policy elements – background checks and mental health access – that have received broad public backing. Gun control more generally, though, has seen declining support recently. CONT. Gary Langer, ABC News Recent polls: Guns Read more »
Americans Show Selective Objection to a President’s Executive Actions
President Obama is expected to announce executive actions on Tuesday expanding background check requirements at gun shows and online. Most Republican presidential candidates are painting this move as an overreach of his authority, but Americans’ feelings about executive actions tend to depend mostly on how they feel about the underlying […] Read more »