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Record-High Majority of Americans Say Owning a Gun Makes Their Homes Safer
November 11, 2014
A record-high majority of Americans believe having a gun in their home keeps them safer, despite recent efforts by gun control advocates to persuade them otherwise.
That's according to a recent Gallup survey of more than 1,000 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia who were asked, "Do you think having a gun in the house makes it a safer place to be or a more dangerous place to be?"
Sixty-three percent of respondents said having a gun makes their home safer, while 30 percent said it makes their home more dangerous. Six percent said it depends. The survey was conducted Oct. 12–15.
That's up from eight years ago in 2006, when 47 percent said guns made them safer while 43 percent said guns posed greater risk of harm.
But even those 2006 numbers were a big swing from 2000 data: At the turn of the millennium, only 35 percent said guns made their homes safer, while 51 percent said guns made their homes more dangerous.
Gallup also found that Republicans (81 percent) are more likely than Democrats (41 percent) to own guns: Republicans, men and Southerners are the three most likely demographics to have guns at home.
Americans' shifting views have come amid tragic mass shooting events across the nation and subsequent legislative attempts at both state and federal levels to tighten regulations on guns. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken up the gun control issue, founding the group Everytown for Gun Safety and giving $20 million of his own money to support gun control measures and candidates during the 2014 midterm elections.
Here's a more complete breakdown of Americans' attitudes toward guns:
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Follow Jon Street (@JonStreet) on Twitter
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