Public Still Wants More Background Checks For Gun Buyers

The charts above were made with information from a recent YouGov Poll -- conducted on July 24th and 25th of a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with a margin of error of 4.7 points.

Even after the tragic mass murder of twenty 6 an 7 year-olds in Connecticut, Congress has refused to do anything to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill. Most Republicans (and a few Democrats) bowed to pressure from the NRA, and killed a bill that would have closed the loopholes in the background checks for those wanting to buy a gun.

Currently about 40% of all the guns sold in this country are done without performing any background check on the purchaser -- at gun shows, on the internet, and through private sales. The NRA and right-wingers have tried to convince the public that such a law would be unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court has decided more than once that government has the constitutional right to ban gun purchases by criminals and other dangerous individuals.

Despite all the propaganda put forth by the NRA and other gun groups, more than three quarters of the American people still want those loopholes closed (77%). They are still convinced that such a law would save many lives. And the people go even further. They would restrict from gun purchases those who have a temporary (64%) or permanent (68%) domestic violence restraining order, even if they haven't been convicted of that domestic violence. And they want those convicted of stalking (66%), even without a conviction for a violent crime, to be banned from buying a gun. And finally, they would be happy to see the ban on domestic abuse violators extended to couple who are dating, but not married (68%).

A substantial majority of the American public is still very serious about curbing gun violence. They know that closing the loopholes in the background check law would not infringe on the right of law-abiding Americans to buy and own a gun, but would keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and save thousands of lives. It's time for our politicians to show a bit of political courage and pass this law.