Public Opinion on Gun Control (Post 5)

I conducted an online survey to better understand how Americans feel about gun control. I wanted to know peoples thoughts and opinions on some of the most debated laws and topics in the current gun control debate. From the survey I found out that most people do want an increase on gun control laws in America, such as limitations being placed on people with mental illness owning guns and overall bans on firearms.

Demographics

The survey was taken by 26 people ranging in age from 15–44 years old. The majority of the people that took the survey were between the ages of 19–21. 65% of respondents said they identified as male and the remaining 34% identified as female. When asked about political beliefs, about 58% of people claimed to be democrats and only about 11% claimed to be republican. The remaining 31% said they were either independent, neither, or green party.

Are you in favor of more gun control?

When asked if they were in favor of more gun control 69% of respondents said that they were in favor and only about 31% said that they were opposed. I was not surprised with the answers to this first question. While doing research on the topic it seemed to me that more and more of the public were starting to want more gun control laws to be put in place, especially after deadly shootings like Parkland and Vegas. I also think that the higher response for more gun control have to do with the fact that the majority of respondents were in the younger generation (19–21).

Do you think there should be a ban on Guns?

A big topic in the gun control debate is a possible ban on assault rifles and other military style weaponry. Many lawmakers have tried and are trying to push a ban on weapons like these. Weapons like these are used by soldiers, police and swat teams. Many people don’t think that civilians need access to these weapons as they are ultimately designed for use in war. When asked about a ban, almost 62% of respondents replied saying that there should be a ban on military style weapons and about 8% said there should be a ban on all guns. It seems that public opinion leaning towards a crack down on these high powered weapons. The remaining 30% didn’t think that any ban was necessary.

Mental Illness

One of the more complicated and controversial topics in the gun control debate is mental illness. Right now there are some state and federal laws in place that either restrict or outright ban persons suffering from serious mental illnesses from owning firearms. The main reason for these laws is a supposed public belief that these people are more prone to violence. I wanted to see for myself if this was the case.

People who suffer from mental illness are more prone to violent tendencies…

This was the question that surprised me the most. About 70% of respondents agreed that people suffering from mental illnesses are in some way more prone to these violent tendencies. About 20% didn’t have a stance and only about 12% disagreed. I thought that there would be a bigger group of people who either didn't hold a stance or disagreed with the claim. The results do back up the results of the follow up question…

Do you think people suffering from serious mental illness should be banned or limited from owning firearms?

An overwhelming 96% of respondents think there should be limitations placed on mentally ill people trying to owning firearms or they should be outright banned. These results do solidify the public belief that people with mental illnesses are more prone to violent tendencies and by result shows support and agreement with the current laws put in place on this topic.

Conclusion

In the end, the results from my survey answered a lot of the questions I had about what Americans think about gun control. A big majority of people, especially the younger generation, are calling for more gun control, and events like the Parkland shooting and other massacres are only solidifying this opinion in the mind of the American people.