Polling

Polls consistently confirm that a significant majority of Americans want stronger gun laws.  When polled, gun owners agree with non-gun owning Americans that firearms should be more strictly regulated for the benefit of public health and safety.

Public Attitudes on Guns

More than seven in ten Americans (71%) believe that stopping gun violence is a “very important” goal.¹

Fifty-four percent of American voters polled in 2008 support stricter gun control laws.²

A majority of Americans – 59% – believe that the laws covering the sale of guns should be stricter than they are currently.³

Sales & Transfers

Background Checks / Gun Shows / Private Sales

A 2009 poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that NRA members (69%) and non-NRA member gun owners (85%) support requiring all sellers at gun shows to conduct criminal background checks of the people buying guns.⁴

There is extensive public support for background checks of prospective gun purchasers, from licensed dealers, to gun shows, to all other private transactions. A poll conducted shortly after the 2008 presidential election found that 83% of voters, including 84% of gun owners, favor criminal background checks for all gun sales.⁵

Another 2008 poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that 87% of Americans favor requiring everyone who sells guns to conduct criminal background checks on prospective purchasers, including 83% of gun owners.⁶

A national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns one year earlier, in January 2007, found that 92% of Americans favor (80% strongly favor) mandatory criminal background checks for all people purchasing guns. Ninety-one percent of gun owners favor mandatory background checks.⁷

A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 92% favor improving the background check system to make gun purchaser background checks faster and more accurate.⁸ That poll also found that 90% of Americans support requiring background checks for all firearms sales at gun shows.⁹

Americans want background checks conducted on all prospective gun purchasers, including for private sales transactions:

• Eighty percent of Americans polled in 2006 support criminal background checks for all sales of guns.¹⁰

• A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 79% of Americans support a requirement that anyone who purchases a firearm undergo a background check, even if they buy the firearm from a friend or neighbor.¹¹

• A 2001 poll found that over 77% of Americans favor requiring background checks for all private firearm sales.¹²

Prohibited Persons

NRA members (82%) and non-NRA member gun owners (86%) support a proposal prohibiting people on terrorist watch lists from purchasing guns.  Sixty-one percent of NRA members and 69% of non-NRA member gun owners strongly support this proposal.¹³

Americans strongly support preventing felons and people with mental health problems from owning guns (88% favor, while only 12% oppose).¹⁴

A national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 85% of respondents, including 79% of gun owners, favor prohibiting people who have been convicted of illegal possession of a gun from purchasing guns.¹⁵

Nearly 77% of Americans favor prohibiting criminal access to guns, even if the prohibition makes it harder for law-abiding individuals to obtain guns.¹⁶

A 2001 survey of public attitudes toward prohibiting gun purchases to persons convicted of certain specified crimes found that Americans favor prohibiting guns in the hands of persons convicted of: a) publicly displaying a firearm in a threatening manner (94.7%); b) carrying a concealed weapon without a permit (83.7%); c) assault and battery not involving a lethal weapon or serious injury (82.9%); and d) driving under the influence of alcohol (68.5%).¹⁷

Mental Health Reporting

In an ABC News poll conducted shortly after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, 83% of respondents favored laws requiring states to report mentally ill people to a federal database in order to prevent them from buying guns.¹⁸

Waiting Periods

A poll conducted shortly after the 2008 presidential election found that 65% of voters, including 64% of gun owners, support a five-day waiting period for handgun sales.¹⁹

Another 2008 poll found that Americans strongly favor a waiting period prior to the delivery of a purchased firearm (86% favor this policy, while only 14% oppose).²⁰

A 2001 poll found that 73% of Americans support a five-day waiting period.²¹

Multiple Purchase / Sale Limitations

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that 65% of Americans favor limiting the number of handguns an individual is allowed to purchase to one gun per month.²²

A poll conducted shortly after the 2008 presidential election found that 54% of voters support limiting the number of guns that may be purchased at one time.²³

A national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 57% of respondents, including 52% of gun owners, favor limiting the number of handguns an individual is allowed to purchase to one gun per month.²⁴

A 2001 National Opinion Research Center poll found that 69.1% of Americans favor a limit of one handgun purchaser per person per month.²⁵

Dealer Licensing / Regulation

NRA members (90%) and Non-NRA member gun owners (93%) agree that irresponsible gun dealers who break the law by knowingly selling guns to unqualified purchasers should be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law.  Seventy-two percent of NRA members and 79% of non-NRA member gun owners strongly agree with this concept.²⁶

Eighty-two percent of NRA members and 85% of non-NRA member gun owners would support a requirement that gun retailers perform background checks on their employees to ensure they are not felons.²⁷

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns²⁸ in the spring of 2008 found that Americans strongly favor thorough regulation of firearms dealers, including laws that:

• Require gun retailers to perform background checks on their employees (91% of Americans favor, including 88% of gun owners);

• Require gun retailers to inspect their inventories every year and report stolen or missing guns (86% of Americans favor, including 83% of gun owners);

• Require gun retailers to videotape all gun sales (74% of Americans favor);

• Require gun sellers to install machines that can verify the validity of a gun buyer’s driver’s license (83% of Americans favor);

• Require gun stores to keep all guns locked securely to prevent theft (88% of Americans favor); and

• Prohibit gun retailers whose licenses have been revoked from continuing to sell their guns without a new background check (80% of Americans favor, including 80% of gun owners).

On the issue of gun dealers videotaping gun sales transactions, a survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 91% of gun owners said being videotaped in a store while purchasing firearms would make no difference to them or would make them more likely to purchase a firearm from that retailer.²⁹

For detailed information on gun dealer regulations, including policy background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Dealer Regulations Policy Summary.

Gun Ownership

Gun Ownership Generally

Eighty-three percent of NRA members and 73% of non-NRA member gun owners agree that support for Second Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with keeping illegal guns out of the hands of criminals.³⁰

A 2001 survey asked Americans whether they kept any firearm in or around the home, including in a vehicle. Sixty-Eight percent of respondents did not keep a firearm in or around the home, while nearly 32% did keep firearms in or around the home.³¹

A 2008 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found that a majority of Americans – 51% – support limits on the number of guns a person can own.³²

Licensing of Gun Purchasers / Owners

Americans strongly support licensing laws.  A poll conducted shortly after the 2008 presidential election found that 68% of voters, including 60% of gun owners, support the licensing of gun owners.³³

Another poll conducted in 2006 found that 79% of Americans support the issuance of a police permit before a gun can be purchased.³⁴

A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 70% of Americans want to require all gun owners to obtain a federal government-issued license and demonstrate how to properly handle a firearm.³⁵

A nationwide poll conducted in May of 2001 found that 85% of respondents – including 73% of gun owners – favor laws requiring handgun purchasers to obtain a permit before buying a handgun.³⁶ That poll also found that 70% of the respondents mistakenly believe that a licensing system already exists in the U.S.³⁷

An Opinion Research Corporation International poll taken in 2001 found that 82% of respondents support laws requiring the licensing and registration of handguns.³⁸

A 2001 National Opinion Research Center poll found that 87.9% of Americans support a requirement that prospective gun purchasers take gun-safety courses.³⁹ That poll also found that 79% of Americans favor a police permit requirement prior to a firearms purchase. Over 62% of persons polled believe handgun owners must at least be licensed and trained to use a handgun.⁴⁰

Registration of Firearms

A poll conducted after the 2008 presidential election found that 68% of voters, including 60% of gun owners, support the registration of guns.⁴¹

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that 70% of Americans favor requiring every gun owner to register each gun he or she owns as part of a national gun registry.⁴²

An earlier Mayors Against Illegal Guns poll, conducted in January 2007, found that 73% of respondents, including 54% of gun owners, favor a requirement that every gun owner register each gun he or she owns as part of a national gun registry.⁴³

A 2008 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found that 79% of Americans favor requiring guns to be registered.⁴⁴

A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 67% of Americans support requiring individual gun owners to register their firearms with the federal government.⁴⁵

A nationwide poll conducted in May 2001 found that 70% of respondents mistakenly believe that a registration system already exists in the U.S.⁴⁶ That poll showed that 83% of respondents, including 72% of gun owners, favor registration for newly-purchased handguns.⁴⁷

Another 2001 poll conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that 76.9% of Americans desire mandatory registration of handguns.⁴⁸ Close to 70% of poll respondents also favor regular re-registering of handguns.⁴⁹

Reporting of Lost or Stolen Firearms

A 2009 poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that NRA members (78%) and non-NRA member gun owners (88%) support a proposal requiring gun owners to alert police if their guns are lost or stolen.⁵⁰

Another national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that Americans strongly favor requiring all gun owners to alert the police if their guns are lost or stolen (91% of Americans favor this policy, including 88% of gun owners).⁵¹

Carrying Concealed Weapons

A slight majority of Americans – 52% – oppose laws that authorize the carrying of concealed weapons.⁵²

Another poll found that nearly 52% of Americans favor authorizing the carrying of concealed weapons only for persons who demonstrate a special need to carry a concealed weapon.⁵³

A 1999 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll found that 73% of Americans disapprove of making it easier for people to legally carry concealed weapons.⁵⁴

Americans are more likely to feel less safe rather than more safe if more people in their community acquire firearms. A study⁵⁵ reviewing surveys on public attitudes toward guns in the U.S. found:

• In a 1996 survey, that 59% of respondents would feel less safe as more people in their community began to carry guns;

• In a 1999 survey, that an overwhelming majority said “No,” in response to questions regarding whether average citizens should be allowed to bring their guns into restaurants (88%), college campuses (94%), sports stadiums (94%), bars (93%), hospitals (91%), or government buildings (92%).

Guns on College Campuses

Americans, in overwhelming numbers, believe that guns have no place at our colleges and universities. In one national survey conducted in 1999, 94% of Americans answered “No” when asked, “Do you think regular citizens should be allowed to bring their guns [onto] college campuses?”⁵⁶

Classes of Weapons

Assault Weapons

A poll conducted shortly after the 2008 presidential election found that 65% of Americans, including 60% of gun owners, favor banning military style assault weapons.⁵⁷

A 2006 poll found that 82% of Americans support restrictions on the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons.⁵⁸

In 2004, a poll of likely presidential election voters found that 77% of overall respondents, and 66% of gun owning respondents, supported renewal of the now-expired federal assault weapon ban.⁵⁹

Sixty-seven percent of Field & Stream readers do not consider assault weapons to be legitimate sporting guns.⁶⁰

Large Caliber Firearms

Eighty-five percent of Americans favor limiting the sale of 50-caliber rifles, military firearms that combine long range, accuracy, and massive power.⁶¹

Handguns

Sixty percent of poll respondents believe that laws covering the sale of handguns should be made more strict.⁶²

Imitation / Replica Guns

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that 67% of Americans favor prohibiting the sale of brightly-painted guns that can make a real gun look like a toy gun.⁶³

Consumer and Child Safety

Design Safety Standards for Firearms

Nearly 88% of Americans support “child-proofing” firearms, and 74.9% favor governmental safety standards for firearms.⁶⁴

Locking Devices

Eighty-five percent of Americans support requiring safety locks or trigger guards to be included with all new handgun purchases.⁶⁵

Nearly the same percentage of Americans – 84% – favor requiring gun manufacturers to integrate child safety locks into the design of all handguns sold in the United States.⁶⁶

A large majority of Americans – 89% (including 85% gun owners) – support requiring child safety locks to be sold with all new handguns.⁶⁷

Personalized / Owner-Authorized Firearms

Over 87% of Americans support “child-proofing” firearms, 72.2% back technology that “personalizes” handguns (i.e., guns that can only be fired by authorized users), and 74.9% favor governmental safety standards for firearms.⁶⁸

More than 73% of Americans support the requirement that all newly sold handguns be personalized.⁶⁹

Child Access Prevention

The public favors laws that criminalize incidents where a child has access to a gun owned by his or her parents, takes it and uses it to shoot someone. An ABC News.com poll from 2000 found that 75% of Americans believe the child’s parents should be charged with a crime for failing to prevent the child from getting the gun.⁷⁰

Gun Crime Investigation

Ballistic Identification

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that 77% of Americans favor requiring all guns sold in the U.S. to have a ballistic fingerprint, which allows police to determine from what gun a bullet was fired.⁷¹

A national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 82% of respondents, including 75% of gun owners, favor requiring all guns sold in the U.S. to have a ballistic fingerprint.⁷²

An October 2002 poll conducted for ABC News asked respondents whether they favored a law requiring every gun sold to be test-fired so law enforcement would have its ballistic fingerprint in case the firearm was used in a crime. Seventy-three percent of respondents support ballistic fingerprinting – 82% of non-gun owners and 61% of gun owners favor the law.⁷³

Enforcement

A national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 82% of Americans want strict enforcement of current gun laws, and do not want such laws repealed.⁷⁴ That survey also found that 76% of American gun owners want stricter enforcement of current gun laws and do not want such laws repealed.⁷⁵

Fifty-four percent of Americans want illegal gun sales to be punished more severely than illegal drug sales.⁷⁶

A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 85% favor vigorous enforcement of all existing federal gun laws.⁷⁷

Anti-Trafficking Measures

A 2009 poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that 69% of NRA members and 74% of non-NRA member gun owners believe that the federal government should not restrict the police’s ability to access, use, and share data that helps them enforce federal, state and local gun laws.⁷⁸

That same 2009 poll found that 96% of NRA member and 94% of non-NRA member gun owners believe that criminals who possess, use, and traffic in illegal guns should be punished to the maximum extent of the law.  Eighty-six percent of NRA members and 85% of non-NRA member gun owners agree strongly with this concept.⁷⁹

Another national survey conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in January 2007 found that 91% of Americans think police should be allowed to find out who sold and bought a gun that is found at a crime scene. Seventy-eight percent of respondents strongly favor this policy.⁸⁰

This survey⁸¹ also found that:

• 90% of poll respondents favor allowing police to share information with other cities and states about who sold and bought a gun that is found at a crime scene. Seventy-five percent of respondents strongly favor this policy.

• 72% of respondents favor using gun sales information to revoke the licenses of negligent gun retailers who repeatedly sell guns that end up being used in crimes. Fifty-seven percent of respondents strongly favor this policy.

• 66% of respondents favor (48% strongly favor) the use of gun sales information in lawsuits against firearm retailers who repeatedly sell guns that end up being used in crimes.

A national poll conducted for Mayors Against Illegal Guns in the spring of 2008 found that 79% of Americans favor raising the maximum federal penalty for illegal gun trafficking from 10 years to 20 years in prison.⁸²

A poll of likely 2004 presidential election voters found that 86% of Americans favor making gun trafficking a crime with penalties as serious as drug trafficking.⁸³

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Footnotes

^1. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns 1, (Apr. 10, 2008), available at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/polling_memo.pdf.

^2. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute & Rubenstein Associates, Inc., American Voters Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds, But They Don’t Want Government to Ban It (July 17, 2008), available at http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1194.

^3. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 2-3.

^4. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws 12 (Dec. 2009) at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/luntz_poll_slides.pdf.

^5. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Post-Election Analysis: Sensible Gun Laws Builds Bridges not Burns Them to Moderates, McCain, and Even Gun Owners in Post-Heller World (Nov. 18, 2008), available at: http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/memo-11-18-08.pdf.

^6. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 3, 6.

^7. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs) 12, 18 (Jan. 23, 2007), available at http://www.greenbergresearch.com/articles/1849/2630_MAIGslides.pdf.

^8. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, Winning the Gun Vote (Oct. 16, 2003) at http://www.ndol.org/documents/AGS_Penn_1003.pdf.

^9. Id.

^10. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, Public Attitudes Towards the Regulation of Firearms (Mar. 2007) (discussing the results of the “2006 General Social Survey” NORC/University of Chicago) , at http://www.icpgv.org/pdf/NORCPoll.pdf.

^11. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, supra note 8.

^12. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, Public Attitudes Towards the Regulation of Firearms (Mar. 2007) (discussing the results of the 2001 “National Gun Policy Survey” conducted by NORC/University of Chicago), at http://www.icpgv.org/pdf/NORCPoll.pdf.

^13. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws, supra note 4, at 11.

^14. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll, Most Americans Say the Constitution Guarantees the Right to Own a Gun, Latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll Shows (June 28, 2008), available at http://www.opinionresearch.com/fileSave/CNNPR_Gun_6_28_2008.pdf.

^15. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 18.

^16. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^17. Id.

^18. ABC News Poll, VA Tech, Guns, and Mental Illness (Apr. 22, 2007), available at http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/1037a1VaTechGuns.pdf.

^19. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, supra note 5.

^20. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll, Most Americans Say the Constitution Guarantees the Right to Own a Gun, Latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll Shows, supra note 14.

^21. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^22. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 6.

^23. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, supra note 5.

^24. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 19.

^25. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^26. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws, supra note 4, at 9.

^27. Id. at 14.

^28. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 3, 6.

^29. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 7.

^30. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws, supra note 4, at 7.

^31. Gun Ownership by State, Wash. Post, May 26, 2006 (publishing a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of gun possession in the home conducted by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics in 2001), at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/interactives/guns/ownership.html.

^32. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll, Most Americans Say the Constitution Guarantees the Right to Own a Gun, Latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll Shows, supra note 14.

^33. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, supra note 5.

^34. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 10.

^35. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, supra note 8.

^36. Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, Inc. Poll, Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (May 15-21, 2001), at http://www.commondreams.org/news2001/0612-05.htm.

^37. Id.

^38. Lois Hess, Editorial, Bush Undermining Gun Control Laws, Balt. Sun, July 31, 2001, at 11A, available at http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0731-03.htm.

^39. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^40. Id.

^41. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, supra note 5.

^42. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 6.

^43. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 19.

^44. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll, Most Americans Say the Constitution Guarantees the Right to Own a Gun, Latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll Shows, supra note 14.

^45. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, supra note 8.

^46. Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, Inc. Poll, Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, supra note 36.

^47. Id.

^48. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^49. Id.

^50. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws, supra note 4, at 13.

^51. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 3.

^52. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll, Most Americans Say the Constitution Guarantees the Right to Own a Gun, Latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll Shows, supra note 14.

^53. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^54. Peter Hart and Robert Teeter for NBC News/Wall Street Journal (Apr. 17-19, 1999), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^55. David Hemenway, Deborah Azrael, Matthew Miller, National Attitudes Concerning Gun Carrying in the United States, 7 Inj. Prevention 282, 283 (2001), at http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1730790&blobtype=pdf.

^56. Id. at 283.

^57. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, supra note 5.

^58. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 10.

^59. Americans for Gun Safety, Taking Back the Second Amendment: A Seven-Step Blueprint for Democrats to Promote Responsibility and Win the Gun Vote 7 (Oct. 2003) (citing a national poll of 802 likely 2004 presidential election voters conducted by Penn Schoen & Berland from October 1- 6, 2003, with a +/-3.46% margin of error), at http://www.ndol.org/documents/AGS_Blueprint.pdf. Other polls of likely 2004 presidential election voters found strong support for banning assault weapons. See, e.g., The Harris Poll #69, Majority of U.S. Adults Favors Continuing Ban on Sales of Assault Rifles, According to Latest Harris Poll (Sept. 24, 2004) (71% favored continuing the then-expiring federal ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines); National Annenberg Election Survey, Annenberg Public Policy Center, Most of Public Wants the Assault Weapons Ban Extended; So Do Half of NRA Households, Annenberg Data Shows (Apr. 23, 2004) (71% of all respondents – and 64% of gun-owning households – wanted the now-expired federal ban renewed by Congress); Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Strongly Support Renewing and Strengthening the Federal Assault Weapons Ban 3 (Feb. 2004), at http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/ASSAULTWEAPONSURVEY2004.pdf (67% favored renewal of the federal ban, with 57% strongly supporting renewal.  Among gun owners, 56% supported renewal, with 45% strongly supporting renewal. Furthermore, 65% of Americans supported strengthening the then-existing assault weapons ban, including 51% of gun owners).

^60. Field & Stream, The 2003 National Hunting Survey, July 2003 (citing an informal survey of 2,897 readers).

^61. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 10.

^62. CBS News/New York Times Poll (Apr. 22-26, 2009).

^63. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 6.

^64. Susan B. Sorenson, Regulating Firearms as a Consumer Product, Science, Nov. 19, 1999, at 1481-82.

^65. Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll (June 11-13, 1999), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^66. CBS News/New York Times Poll (May 10-13, 2000), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^67. Princeton Survey Research Associates Poll for Newsweek (August 12-13, 1999), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^68. Susan B. Sorenson, supra note 64, at 1481-82.

^69. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 12.

^70. ABC News.com Poll Conducted by ICR (Mar. 3-7, 2000), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^71. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 6.

^72. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 19.

^73. ABC News Poll Conducted by TNS Intersearch (Oct. 16-20, 2002), available at http://pollingreport.com/guns2.htm.

^74. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 7.

^75. Id.

^76. Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/University of Chicago, supra note 10.

^77. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, supra note 8.

^78. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Gun Owners:  NRA Gun-Owners & Non-NRA Gun-Owners 4 (Dec. 2009) at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/luntz_poll_questionnaire_and_responses.pdf.

^79. Dr. Frank Luntz/Word Doctors for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, America’s Gun Owners Support Common Sense Gun Laws, supra note 4, at 9.

^80. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & The Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Strong Public Support for Tough Enforcement of Common Sense Gun Laws (Graphs), supra note 7, at 14.

^81. Id.

^82. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research & the Tarrance Group for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans Support Common Sense Measures to Cut Down on Illegal Guns, supra note 1, at 6.

^83. Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Inc. for Americans for Gun Safety, supra note 8.