In my last column I asked readers what they want from American gun laws. This column reports back what they said. It isn’t a statistically reliable survey with a controlled sample but 90 readers responded and there is enough self-reported diversity among them to serve as a basis for more conversation on the subject. For detailed responses including all of the reader comments CLICK HERE.
I asked readers to classify themselves into one of five groups:
Very Conservative = leaning toward tea party or conservative evangelical viewpoints.
Conservative = social conservative and generally Republican.
Unaffiliated = not conservative or liberal or partisan.
Liberal = social liberal and generally Democratic.
Very Liberal = social liberal leaning toward European Socialist viewpoint.
Those are the categories that you will see in charts below. Green numbers indicate areas of agreement. Orange indicates disagreement with the other groups. It should be noted that the low response rate in the “very conservative” group means that their data are the least reliable.
Table 1 shows high levels of agreement among the groups about who should NOT have guns.
| What criteria should a person meet before they are allowed to purchase a gun? Check all that apply. | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| No criteria. It should be legal for anyone to purchase a gun. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Only adults age 18 or older should be allowed to purchase guns. | 83 | 75 | 83 | 79 | 95 | 93 |
| People with felony criminal records should not be allowed to purchase or own guns. | 87 | 100 | 92 | 90 | 91 | 93 |
| People who have been involuntarily committed for psychiatric treatment should not be allowed to purchase or own guns. | 89 | 100 | 83 | 90 | 91 | 93 |
| Only People who have completed safety training should be allowed to purchase and own guns. | 69 | 25 | 58 | 62 | 86 | 93 |
Table 2 shows strong support for background checks before purchases in the form of either universal checks or renewable licenses.
| How should gun purchasers demonstrate compliance with your criteria? Choose one best answer. | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| Just sign a form. We’ll take your word for it. | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Background checks should be done for purchases from licensed dealers but sales at gun shows should be exempt (current system) | 11 | 50 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Purchasers must submit a valid ID and there must be an instant background check conducted for every gun purchase. | 67 | 50 | 58 | 59 | 91 | 77 |
| Gun owners should have one background check then receive a multi-year renewable license so they don’t need a new background check for every purchase. | 21 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 9 | 23 |
Table 3 shows a substantial amount of agreement on banning certain types of guns and ammunition but that does not include hand guns with large magazines. Many unaffiliated respondents agree with liberals about banning rifles with large magazines.
| Are there any kinds of guns or ammunition that individuals should not be allowed to possess? Check all that apply. | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| Machine Guns | 92 | 50 | 83 | 92 | 95 | 100 |
| Rapid fire rifles (like assault rifles) capable of large numbers of shots before reloading | 77 | 50 | 33 | 64 | 100 | 100 |
| Rapid fire hand guns capable of large numbers of shots before reloading | 63 | 0 | 33 | 40 | 95 | 86 |
| Guns disguised to look like something else such as a cane or umbrella. | 85 | 50 | 75 | 76 | 95 | 93 |
| Guns designed to be invisible to metal detectors and other security systems (such as plastic guns) | 94 | 100 | 92 | 84 | 100 | 100 |
| Ammunition designed to pierce body armor (cop killer bullets) | 86 | 50 | 83 | 80 | 95 | 93 |
Table 4 shows strong agreement to ban guns from commercial flights. Unaffiliated and Liberals would also ban them at schools and airports but conservatives are divided about that.
| Are there places where civilians should not be allowed to carry guns? Check all that apply | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| Airports | 77 | 50 | 55 | 76 | 90 | 92 |
| Commercial airline flights | 96 | 100 | 91 | 95 | 100 | 100 |
| Public Schools and their extracurricular events | 82 | 50 | 55 | 76 | 95 | 100 |
| Bars | 76 | 100 | 55 | 67 | 86 | 92 |
| Public College Campuses | 68 | 0 | 27 | 57 | 86 | 92 |
Table 5 shows strong agreement to ban shooting near schools and where bullets cross the property of owners who have not given permission. Unaffiliateds and liberals tend to oppose shooting near homes, public buildings and businesses of people who have not given permission. Conservatives said it should be permitted near homes.
| What restrictions should there be on where people can shoot guns? Check all that apply. | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| Not within a specified distance from a school | 95 | 100 | 92 | 93 | 100 | 93 |
| Not allowed if bullets cross property where shooter does not have the owner’s permission. | 87 | 0 | 67 | 89 | 100 | 100 |
| Not allowed within a specified distance from any residence where the owner has not given permission | 73 | 0 | 28 | 63 | 91 | 100 |
| Not allowed within a specified distance from public buildings, parks or businesses | 80 | 50 | 67 | 67 | 100 | 100 |
| Limited to designated areas of national and state forests. | 51 | 0 | 17 | 48 | 73 | 71 |
| Not allowed within a specified distance from highways. | 65 | 25 | 25 | 52 | 95 | 86 |
There are many areas of agreement across the political spectrum about the content of gun laws but no apparent agreement about which legislative body should make the laws.
| Who should make the laws that govern guns and gun ownership? | TOTAL
PERCENT |
Very Conservative percent | Conservative percent | Unaffiliated percent | Liberal percent | Very Liberal percent |
| Congress should make national laws and states can add to them. | 66 | 50 | 9 | 59 | 86 | 100 |
| There should be no national laws. States should do this. | 26 | 25 | 64 | 37 | 9 | 0 |
| There should not be any laws limiting gun ownership in any way. | 5 | 25 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Cities and counties should be permitted to create additional restrictions as needed. | 59 | 0 | 45 | 44 | 77 | 85 |
Those who believe cable news channels won’t hear it reported, but this survey demonstrates many areas of agreement on actions that might reduce gun deaths. If we listen and respect each other’s opinions, we might be able to move forward with ideas that have broad support rather than allowing areas of disagreement to paralyze us. Perhaps the most disturbing disagreement is not about what our laws should be; instead it is about which legislative body should make the laws.
My hope is that this column will encourage conversations among friends and families about gun laws; and that those conversations will lead to mutual understanding. My belief is that most of our legislators do not want to lead on this subject. They are waiting for us voters to make up our minds. The survey says that we have already done that on some subjects. If that is true, we should let lawmakers in on the secret.