(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Two-thirds of adults in the United States would oppose a federal ban on handguns for everyone except the police and other authorized individuals, according to a poll by Gallup released by USA Today. 68 per cent of respondents do not think there should be a law prohibiting the possession of handguns.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Two-thirds of adults in the United States would oppose a federal ban on handguns for everyone except the police and other authorized individuals, according to a poll by Gallup released by USA Today. 68 per cent of respondents do not think there should be a law prohibiting the possession of handguns.
In addition, 51 per cent of respondents think there should be stricter regulations regarding the sale of firearms, down five points in a year.
The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right "to keep and bear arms." Some American states have enacted their own gun control regulations, independent of existing federal legislation.
In April, Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people—fellow students and teachers—at the Virginia Tech University campus in two separate incidents, before turning a gun on himself. The shooting is the deadliest of its kind in American history and revived a debate on whether the country should introduce new legislation on gun control.
On Oct. 13, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new law requiring that new models of semi-automatic handguns sold in the state be able to stamp identifying serial numbers on shell casings. The governor said the new technology will make it possible for police to track spent shells back to the gun that fired them, and added: "While I appreciate and understand that this technology is not without limitations, I am signing this bill to provide law enforcement with an additional tool for solving crimes. (…) I encourage all stakeholders to work on improving this technology."
Schwarzenegger’s decision prompted criticism from pro-gun activists. Sam Paredes of the Gun Owners of California called him "the most anti-gun governor in California history."
Polling Data
Do you think there should or should not be a law that would ban the possession of handguns, except by the police and other authorized persons?
|
Oct. 2007 |
Oct. 2006 |
Oct. 2005 |
|
|
Should |
30% |
32% |
35% |
|
Should not |
68% |
68% |
64% |
|
Unsure |
2% |
2% |
1% |
In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?
|
Oct. 2007 |
Oct. 2006 |
Oct. 2005 |
|
|
More strict |
51% |
56% |
57% |
|
Less strict |
8% |
9% |
7% |
|
Kept as now |
39% |
33% |
35% |
|
Unsure |
2% |
2% |
2% |
Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,010 American adults, conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
