People on the national terrorist watch list should not be allowed to purchase guns, an overwhelming number of voters say — including among households where there is a gun — according to a new
Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.
According to the poll of 1,610 voters surveyed nationwide between June 21-27:
- 86-12 percent overall said there should be a "no fly, no buy" ban;
- 83-14 percent from gun-owning households agreed;
- 64-28 percent said it's possible to make new laws without interfering with gun rights;
- 59-33 percent in gun-owning households agreed;
- 93-6 percent support background checks for all gun buyers;
- 92-8 percent among gun-owning households agree.
Overall, support for universal background checks has ranged from 88 percent to 93 percent in eight Quinnipiac University national polls that have been conducted since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012, but "nothing changes," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
"American voters clearly are worried about guns," he continued. "They want to make it harder for bad people to get them and believe it can be done without penalizing legitimate gun owners."
In addition, the poll points out:
- Voters support stricter gun laws in the U.S. 54 - 42 percent, the highest level of support ever for this generic question;
- Women support stricter gun laws, 63-33 percent;
- Men oppose more strict laws, 51-45 percent;
- Voters in gun households oppose more strict laws, 56-39 percent.
And in more specific questions:
- 59-37 percent support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons;
- 47-49 percent say an assault weapons ban would help reduce gun violence;
- 62-35 percent believe that expanding background checks would help reduce gun violence;
- 57-36 percent say it's too easy to buy a gun;
- 52-40 percent say the U.S. would be less safe if more people carried guns;
- 38-36 percent have a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association.
The poll also quizzed opinions on Muslims:
- Voters oppose 52-40 percent a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants;
- Republicans support a ban 73-22 percent
- Democrats oppose 80 - 13 percent;
- Independent voters oppose 52 - 38 percent;
- White voters: Divided 47-47 percent;
- Black voters: Oppose 73-16 percent;
- Hispanic voters: Oppose 61-31 percent.
In other findings:
- 62-26 percent say government anti-terror policies have not gone far enough;
- 55-28 percent say mainstream Islam is peaceful;
- 65-29 percent disagree with presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump's suggestion that President Barack Obama may sympathize with terrorist organizations;
- 55-33 percent of Republicans agree with Trump;
- 51-43 percent agree with presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's suggestion that making inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks is what terrorists want.
The poll carried a 2.4-point margin of error.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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