For the first time in more than 20 years, more Americans support gun rights than gun control – a shift in attitude that began after the Newtown, Ct., school shootings that killed 20 children Dec. 14, 2012, a new survey finds.
According to the
Pew Research Center survey, released Wednesday, 52 percent of Americans say it's more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, while 46 percent say gun control is more important.
The majority support for gun ownership over gun control is a first in more than two decades of Pew surveys.
Since January 2013, support for gun rights has gone up 7 percentage points, from 45 percent to 52 percent, while support for gun control has dipped 5 percentage points, from 51 percent to 46 percent, the survey found.
Shortly after the Sandy Hook School massacre, 48 percent of Americans said guns do more to protect people from crime and 37 percent said they placed people at risk. The recent poll found 57 percent say guns do more to protect people from being crime victims, while 38 percent say it does more to endanger personal safety, Pew reports.
Among different racial groups, Hispanics were the only group whose percentage dropped when it came to the right to own a gun. In 2013, 27 percent believed Americans had the right, but a year later it dropped down two points.
Among whites and blacks polled, the numbers increased from last year. Roughly 61 percent of whites polled are in favor of gun rights, up 8 percent, and 34 percent of blacks polled agreed, a 10 percent increase from last year.
Gun rights are still a partisan issue, the survey finds: Roughly 80 percent of Republicans say guns protect people from being crime victims. About 35 percent of Democrats agree.
The poll's margin of error is 2.9 percentage points.