A new poll finds that the vast majority of Americans support universal background checks for all gun purchases:
A new poll shows 88 percent of all Americans support universal background checks on the purchase of firearms, evidence of strong political backing ahead of votes on Senate gun control bill that would expand the practice.
The survey, published Friday by Quinnipiac University, showed that 83 percent of Republicans and 96 percent of Democrats supported universal background checks. Eighty-eighty percent of independents supported expansion of background checks, while 91 percent of women and 85 percent of men backed the practice.
Support was consistent across every racial, economic, education, and religious category, with no group showing lower than 85 percent support for closing the so-called “gun show loophole.” Even 85 percent of households that already own a gun supported the practice.
As I’ve noted before, it strikes me that background checks are the one element of the newly proposed gun control measures that has a chance of passing Congress but, the prospects of passage are by no means assured:
The politics of the issue will be tough, with Republicans and Democrats from rural states reluctant to challenge the gun lobby. The bill passed the Judiciary Committee by a party-line vote last week, and Senate Democratic aides are skeptical it will earn 60 votes on the Senate floor.
Votes on the Senate floor should come some time next month.
