Fifty percent of Americans overall say they view the enacting of new anti-gun violence laws and firearm restrictions as a top legislative priority. But among young Americans under 30, there was a 20 percent drop in support since 2018.
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Tuesday from among more than 1,000 U.S. adults found that Americans overall are less supportive of new gun control legislations than they were just three years ago. People between the ages of 18-29 saw the sharpest decline in backing for new weapons laws, with fewer than half now saying new legislation is needed to reduce the risk of future mass shootings or to block "red flag" buyers.
In April 2018, the last time the ABC/Washington Post survey was conducted on this issue, 65 percent of these young Americans said they support gun control laws. That percentage is now 45.
Massive ideological divides have remained between Democrats and Republicans, with three-quarters of Republicans saying they prioritize the protection of their right to own firearms. And on the other end of the spectrum, 83 percent of Democrats and self-identified liberals said they want President Joe Biden to prioritize more gun control laws.
The preference for enacting new gun laws aimed at reducing firearm violence has dropped by 7 percent overall since the last corresponding survey was conducted in April 2018. Percentage drops were seen in nearly every demographic divide. In that time period, 20 percent of Hispanics pulled back from supporting new gun laws, falling to 50 percent. An increase in rural Americans also now say they want no new gun restrictions, down 17 points to 30 percent.
The percentage of "strong" conservatives who said they would get behind new gun laws also fell to nearly single-digits, down 17 points in the three years since the last survey.
Forty-seven percent of Democrats in the poll said Biden is not doing enough to promote new firearm legislation, alongside 52 percent of liberals. Conversely, about 6 in 10 Republicans said they want Biden to prioritize their right to own a gun. Fewer than one-third of Americans overall said they think Biden is doing the right amount on the issue of gun laws.
Rural adults across the country are twice as likely as urban or suburban Americans to favor the protection of their right to bear arms. Fewer than one-third of urban dwellers said they prioritize their right to own a gun. And just shy of half of suburban residents said they favor protection of gun rights over new laws.
Newsweek reached out to the survey organizers Wednesday morning as well as the NRA for any response to the latest gun control survey.
