Table 4 Support for 42 different gun policies by motivation for recent gun purchases

License and background check policies

  Requiring a background check system for all gun sales to make sure a purchaser is not legally prohibited from having a gun

79.3 (73.1, 84.4)

82.4 (69.2, 90.7)

78.7 (71.5, 84.4)

80.7 (67.4, 89.4)

78.9 (71.6, 84.7)

  Requiring a person to obtain a license from a local law enforcement agency before buying a gun to verify their identity and ensure that they are not legally prohibited from having a gun

55.7 (48.4, 62.7)

66.9 (51.7, 79.3)

53.4 (45.3, 61.4)

63.0 (48.4, 75.6)

53.4 (45.1, 61.5)

  Requiring a license to buy a gun if you could substitute a valid concealed carry license²

17.5 (11.7, 25.5)

41.6 (19.4, 67.8)

14.1* (8.7, 22.0)

34.3 (17.3, 56.5)

13.4* (8.0, 21.7)

  Requiring that a person be fingerprinted for the background check to verify a person’s identity and link it to any relevant criminal records

61.8 (54.6, 68.5)

68.5 (52.5, 81.0)

60.5 (52.3, 68.0)

69.1 (54.4, 80.8)

59.5 (51.1, 67.3)

  Extending the time to conduct a background check to up to 10 days

52.6 (45.4, 59.7)

57.4 (41.7, 71.7)

51.6 (43.5, 59.6)

58.2 (43.2, 71.8)

50.8 (42.6, 58.9)

  Prohibiting the sale of a gun before a background check is complete

58.7 (51.6, 65.5)

58.7 (43.3, 72.6)

58.7 (50.7, 66.4)

65.6 (50.9, 77.7)

56.5 (48.3, 64.5)

Prohibited persons policies

  Prohibiting a person subject to a temporary domestic violence restraining order from having a gun for the duration of the order

73.1 (66.4, 78.9)

73.4 (58.7, 84.3)

73.1 (65.4, 79.6)

71.8 (57.9, 82.6)

73.5 (65.6, 80.2)

  Extending domestic violence-related gun prohibitions to include couples who have dated

50.7 (43.5, 57.9)

48.4 (33.5, 63.5)

51.2 (43.1, 59.2)

46.4 (32.2, 61.3)

52.1 (43.8, 60.2)

  Prohibiting a person convicted of a serious crime as a juvenile from having a gun for 10 years

74.2 (67.9, 79.7)

74.9 (60.6, 85.3)

74.1 (66.8, 80.2)

72.0 (58.0, 82.8)

74.9 (67.5, 81.0)

  Prohibiting a person under the age of 21 from having a handgun

52.7 (45.5, 59.7)

66.6 (51.6, 78.9)

49.8* (41.8, 57.8)

52.3 (37.6, 66.6)

52.8 (44.6, 60.9)

  Prohibiting a person convicted of two or more misdemeanor crimes involving illegal drugs in a five-year period from having a gun for five years

53.8 (46.7, 60.9)

65.0 (49.7, 77.7)

51.5 (43.5, 59.5)

61.6 (47.0, 74.4)

51.3 (43.1, 59.5)

  Prohibiting a person convicted of two or more DWI or DUIs in a five-year period from having a gun for five years

50.0 (42.9, 57.2)

59.9 (44.5, 73.6)

48.0 (40.0, 56.1)

61.8 (47.1, 74.7)

46.2 (38.1, 54.5)

Assault weapon and ammunition policies

  Banning the sale of military-style, semi-automatic assault weapons that are capable of shooting more than 10 rounds of ammunition without reloading

26.9 (21.0, 33.8)

33.8 (21.2, 49.3)

25.5 (19.0, 33.3)

35.9 (23.1, 51.1)

24.0 (17.7, 31.8)

  Banning the sale of large-capacity ammunition clips or magazines that allow some guns to shoot more than 10 bullets before reloading

25.7 (20.0, 32.5)

36.1 (23.0, 51.6)

23.6 (17.4, 31.2)

30.2 (19.1, 44.1)

24.3 (17.7, 32.3)

  Requiring an owner of a semi-automatic rifle, that ejects and rechambers a new round after each shot allowing a person to fire the rifle as quickly as the trigger can be pulled, to be at least 21 years of age

57.9 (50.8, 64.7)

70.3 (54.5, 82.4)

55.3 (47.3, 63.1)

66.5 (51.5, 78.8)

55.1 (46.9, 63.1)

Policies affecting gun dealers

  Allowing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to temporarily take away a gun dealer’s license if an audit reveals record-keeping violations and the dealer cannot account for 20 or more of his guns

73.6 (66.9, 79.4)

81.0 (66.7, 90.1)

72.1 (64.4, 78.7)

73.5 (58.2, 84.7)

73.6 (66.0, 80.1)

  Allowing cities to sue licensed gun dealers when there is strong evidence that the gun dealer’s careless sales practices allowed many criminals to obtain guns

61.2 (54.1, 67.8)

65.8 (50.5, 78.4)

60.2 (52.2, 67.7)

66.1 (52.0, 77.9)

59.6 (51.4, 67.3)

  Allowing the information about which gun dealers sell the most guns used in crimes to be available to the police and the public so that those gun dealers can be prioritized for greater oversight

47.3 (40.2, 54.5)

51.3 (36.2, 66.2)

46.4 (38.5, 54.6)

53.2 (38.6, 67.3)

45.4 (37.3, 53.6)

Temporary firearm removal policies

  Allowing family members to ask the court to temporarily remove guns from a relative who they believe is at risk of harming himself or others

62.4 (55.3, 69.0)

71.8 (57.0, 83.0)

60.5 (52.4, 68.0)

66.5 (51.6, 78.7)

61.1 (52.9, 68.7)

  Authorizing law enforcement officers to temporarily remove guns from individuals who the officer determines pose an immediate threat of harm to self or others

49.8 (42.6, 56.9)

50.6 (35.6, 65.6)

49.6 (41.6, 57.6)

47.1 (32.9, 61.7)

50.6 (42.4, 58.8)

  Allowing licensed healthcare providers to ask the court to temporarily remove guns from a patient who they believe is at risk of harming himself or others

63.4 (56.4, 69.9)

73.6 (58.9, 84.4)

61.3 (53.4, 68.7)

72.6 (58.7, 83.2)

60.5 (52.3, 68.1)

Policies on carrying guns in public

  Requiring a person who has applied for a license to carry a concealed gun in public to pass a test demonstrating that they can safely and lawfully handle a gun in common situations they might encounter

64.8 (57.8, 71.2)

74.6 (60.6, 84.9)

62.8 (54.8, 70.1)

78.7 (66.8, 87.2)

60.3* (52.0, 68.1)

  Allowing a person who can legally carry a concealed gun to bring that gun onto a college or university campus

50.7 (43.5, 57.8)

41.1 (27.3, 56.4)

52.7 (44.6, 60.6)

60.1 (45.1, 73.3)

47.7 (39.6, 55.9)

  Allowing a person who can legally carry a concealed gun to bring that gun onto school grounds for kindergarten through 12th grade

43.5 (36.6, 50.6)

39.9 (26.2, 55.4)

44.2 (36.4, 52.3)

44.3 (30.6, 59.0)

43.2 (35.3, 51.4)

  Allowing a person who can legally own a gun to carry a loaded, concealed handgun in public without having to obtain a concealed carry license

42.2 (35.5, 49.2)

55.8 (40.5, 70.0)

39.4 (32.1, 47.2)

49.0 (34.7, 63.5)

40.0 (32.5, 48.0)

  Requiring a state to recognize a concealed carry permit from another state, even if that other state’s firearm concealed carry permitting standards are lower

69.0 (61.7, 75.4)

80.4 (67.9, 88.8)

66.6 (58.3, 74.0)

76.3 (60.7, 87.0)

66.6 (58.2, 74.1)

  Prohibiting the open carrying of a gun (i.e., carrying in a manner that makes it visible) at a public demonstration or rally

35.9 (29.2, 43.3)

48.1 (33.3, 63.3)

33.4 (25.9, 41.8)

45.2 (31.1, 60.2)

32.9 (25.4, 41.4)

  Prohibiting a person from bringing a gun into a government building

52.7 (45.5, 59.7)

57.2 (42.0, 71.1)

51.7 (43.7, 59.7)

59.9 (45.3, 72.9)

50.3 (42.1, 58.5)

Policies prohibiting a person convicted of each of these crimes from having a gun for 10 years

  Public display of a gun in a threatening manner, excluding self-defense

67.4 (60.5, 73.6)

71.1 (56.0, 82.6)

66.7 (58.9, 73.7)

65.3 (50.6, 77.6)

68.1 (60.2, 75.1)

  Assault and battery that does not result in serious injury or involve a lethal weapon

45.9 (38.9, 53.2)

52.8 (37.6, 67.6)

44.5 (36.7, 52.7)

47.6 (33.3, 62.2)

45.4 (37.4, 53.7)

  Carrying a concealed gun without a permit

43.1 (36.1, 50.3)

48.4 (33.5, 63.5)

42.0 (34.1, 50.2)

49.1 (34.7, 63.6)

41.1 (33.2, 49.6)

  Drunk and disorderly conduct

33.9 (27.3, 41.1)

41.0 (27.1, 56.4)

32.4 (25.2, 40.6)

38.5 (25.3, 53.8)

32.4 (25.1, 40.6)

Funding-related policies

  Directing federal government funding to states that want to establish licensing systems for handgun purchasers

41.6 (34.6, 48.9)

51.5 (36.1, 66.6)

39.5 (31.8, 47.8)

43.2 (29.3, 58.2)

41.0 (33.1, 49.4)

  Funding community-based gun violence prevention programs that provide outreach, conflict mediation, and social support for individuals at high risk of gun violence

53.5 (46.2, 60.6)

56.1 (40.6, 70.5)

52.9 (44.8, 60.9)

53.5 (38.8, 67.7)

53.5 (45.1, 61.6)

  Directing public funding to dispatching a clinician to accompany police officers on calls involving individuals displaying symptoms of mental illness

53.7 (46.5, 60.8)

58.2 (42.4, 72.4)

52.8 (44.6, 60.8)

65.6 (50.8, 78.0)

49.8 (41.6, 58.1)

  Directing public funding for community-based mental health programs to respond to calls involving individuals displaying symptoms of mental illness

56.5 (49.2, 63.5)

69.0 (52.7, 81.6)

53.9 (45.8, 61.9)

65.5 (49.8, 78.3)

53.7 (45.3, 61.8)

  Redirecting government funding currently spend on the police to social services for people at risk of gun violence

23.6 (18.1, 30.1)

40.4 (26.6, 56.0)

20.1** (14.3, 27.4)

34.0 (22.4, 47.9)

20.2* (14.1, 28.0)

  Funding, through public insurance, hospital-based gun violence prevention programs that offer counseling to address psychological trauma

47.0 (39.9, 54.2)

57.0 (41.4, 71.3)

44.9 (37.0, 53.1)

52.3 (37.6, 66.5)

45.3 (37.2, 53.7)

Safe storage policies

  Requiring first-time gun purchasers to take a safety course on safe handling and storage before buying a gun

74.2 (67.6, 79.8)

75.7 (60.8, 86.2)

73.9 (66.3, 80.2)

75.2 (61.3, 85.3)

73.8 (66.1, 80.3)

  Requiring by law that a person lock up the guns in their home when not in use to prevent handling by children or teenagers without adult supervision

52.8 (45.6, 59.9)

64.0 (48.2, 77.2)

50.4 (42.4, 58.5)

66.3 (51.6, 78.4)

48.5* (40.4, 56.7)

Other policies

  Allowing a person with a gun who feels a threat of serious injury from another person to shoot or kill that threatening person, even if the gun owner could safely retreat

39.9 (33.2, 46.9)

53.7 (38.6, 68.2)

37.0* (29.8, 44.7)

59.3 (44.4, 72.7)

33.5** (26.6, 41.2)

  Prohibiting the possession of guns that do not have serial numbers

61.1 (54.0, 67.8)

68.1 (52.4, 80.6)

59.6 (51.6, 67.2)

62.7 (47.6, 75.6)

60.6 (52.4, 68.2)