issue · 89 polls · 4 sources · 1972 → 2026
Gun control (public opinion)
Today (2026)
53%
support · 2026
First reading
74%
1972 · civiqs
54-year shift
-21pp
falling
Polls
89
polls
Sources
4
civiqs · gallup · pew-research-center
support % · 1972 → 2026LOESS-smoothed · raw dots underlaid
Story arc
VerifiedGun control (public opinion) shows 51% in favor and 44% opposed in the most recent Civiqs poll (June 23, 2026) [1], a figure that has held steady across three consecutive Civiqs readings dating back to May 22 — no change from 30 days ago. Gallup's most recent annual survey (October 2025) [2] found 60% of Americans want gun laws made more strict, up 4 points from 56% in October 2024, with just 12% favoring less strict laws and 27% preferring the current level.
support over time
LOESS CONSENSUS
89 polls
BIAS-CORRECTED
House effects removed
INDIVIDUAL POLLS
raw readings
EVENT
curated
Pollster house effects
Pollsters on this topic · 3
D-LEAN
NEUTRAL
R-LEAN
MOST ALIGNED
Civiqs
-0.3pp
Track record matches consensus to within 0.3 pp across 3 polls.
LARGEST HOUSE EFFECT
Gallup
+0.6pp
Consistently overstates support relative to consensus; weight in aggregate is downgraded accordingly.
Who's divided
83pp
Party divides Americans most on this topic.
Democrat 91% favor · Republican 8% · widest spread of any dimension
Dimension
0% favorPOP AVG 51%100%
Spreadparty
3 subgroups
Democrat 91
Republican 8
Independent 48
83pp
race
4 subgroups
White 44
Black or African-American 78
Hispanic/Latino 59
Other 60
34pp
education
3 subgroups
Non-College Graduate 46
College Graduate 54
Postgraduate 66
20pp
gender
2 subgroups
Male 40
Female 60
20pp
age
4 subgroups
18-34 53
35-49 53
50-64 46
65+ 51
7pp
The party gap over time
Democrat91%Independent48%Republican8%SUPPORT % BY SUBGROUP
What's changed
1990
Brady Bill-era peak · 78% favor stricter
79%
1994
Federal assault-weapons ban
81%
2004
Assault-weapons ban expires
80%
2012
Sandy Hook · support surges
73%
2018
Parkland · march for our lives
65%
2022
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
58%
2026
Today
53%