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Forty-four percent of Republicans say mass shootings are “unfortunately something we have to accept as part of free society,” according to a CBS News poll conducted last week by YouGov.
However, a majority of all political groups — Democrats, Republicans, and independents — support background checks and a federal “red flag” law enabling law-enforcement authorities with a court order to temporarily seize firearms from individuals seen as threats to themselves or others.
In addition, Democrats (84%) and independents (64%) support a ban on AR-15-style weapons compared to 31% of Republicans, according to the poll.
Little Optimism That Congress Will Act
Asked if mass shootings could be prevented “if we really tried,” 72% of poll respondents said yes.
When asked why the United States has more mass shootings than many other countries, 54% pointed to the availability of guns. Another 47% cited mental health issues, 37% violent movies and video games, and 37% racial tensions.
Poll respondents expressed skepticism about whether Congress would pass new gun laws in the coming months. Thirty-one percent said federal gun legislation was “likely” or “somewhat likely” while 69% said it was “not very likely” or “not at all likely.”
