Many back strict gun laws, but opposition tends to be louder

By HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Polling shows majorities of Americans think mass shootings would occur less often if guns were harder to get. And they think schools and other public places have become less safe than they were two decades ago. Still, public attitudes on guns and gun policy are complicated, and the issue has seen little by way of federal legislative changes in more than a decade. It’s not unusual for polling to show higher support for restrictions among the general public after a mass shooting. But an expert explains that attitudes on gun regulation are rather stable over time and those who own guns and oppose gun control tend to have a louder voice in the political process.