More than two-thirds of Americans want stronger gun control measures
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A recent poll showed that 68% of voters support stricter gun control laws, higher than the previous record of 66%, which was set after mass shootings in 2019.
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A recent poll showed that 68% of voters support stricter gun control laws in the US
More than two-thirds of Americans now support stricter gun control measures, the highest proportion ever recorded, a new Morning Consult/Politico opinion poll found on Wednesday.
"According to the June 10-12 survey, 68% of voters support stricter gun control laws, higher than the previous record of 66%, which was set after the 2019 mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio," a release on the poll revealed.
The poll indicated that support for stricter gun control among all voters increased by 8% after the May 14 shooting in Buffalo, New York, and the massacre of 19 schoolchildren with two of their teachers in Uvalde, Texas, by an 18-year-old with an AR-15 automatic rifle.
The release highlighted that record-high shares of Democrats (90%) and independents (67%) back stronger gun restrictions, along with 44% of Republicans, although just over half of Republican voters (51%) oppose tougher gun laws, including 34% who do so "strongly".
The survey was carried out from June 10-12 among 2,005 registered US voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2%, according to the release.
US Senate makes bipartisan framework to tackle mass shootings
It is noteworthy that a couple of days ago, US Senate members announced a bipartisan framework that offers measured gun curbs and efforts to improve school safety and mental health programs as a response to the wave of mass shootings.
According to the framework, juvenile records of gun buyers under the age of 21 will be made available when they undergo background checks. The shooters that committed their crimes in Uvalde and Buffalo have committed mass shootings in recent years, though they're both only 18.
Furthermore, the agreement will offer money to states to enforce "red flag" laws that will facilitate confiscating guns from people considered potentially violent.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said the framework “does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”
Given the bipartisan support, “there are no excuses for delay, and no reason why it should not quickly move through the Senate and the House,” he said.
This year, gun violence has claimed the lives of more than 19,300 people in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
