After the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, most Americans regardless of party favor tightening restrictions on firearms, NPR reports. Eight in 10 Americans told an NPR/Ipsos survey that they favor bans on assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines and “bump stocks,” an accessory used by the Las Vegas shooter that allows a semi-automatic rifle to fire like an automatic weapon.
Eight in 10 also said they favor a federal database to track all gun sales. On each question, majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans all were in favor of the restrictions to some degree.
The share in favor of new curbs, as well as the intensity of their agreement, varied by party, sometimes widely. For example, 91 percent of Democrats, along with 76 percent of independents and 70 percent of Republicans,favor banning assault-style weapons. However, 74 percent of Democrats “strongly favor” this kind of restriction, compared to only 48 percent of Republicans “strongly” in favor and 45 percent of independents who said so.
There are similar divides on other restrictions. Fully 88 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Republicans, and 82 percent of independents favor banning bump stocks. While three-quarters of Democrats “strongly favor” this kind of ban, only around half of Republicans and independents do.
Much interest in gun control is short-lived. Ipsos Public Affairs President Cliff Young said, “Gun violence like this typically has a short-term effect on public opinion where there’s a crystallizing event” that temporarily bumps support for gun control upward.