Poll: Support for controlling gun violence hits its highest point in a decade

Kamillah Caballero, left, stands with her father Michael as they and other mourners visit a memorial at Robb Elementary School created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting, Monday, June 6, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Two teachers and 19 students were killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and an earlier one in Buffalo, N.Y., a majority of U.S. adults say it’s more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

The 59%-to-35% margin is the widest in favor of controlling gun violence recorded in a decade in the Marist poll, though the numbers are similar to what Marist has found over the last four years since the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.

As expected, the new poll finds a sharp partisan divide — 92% of Democrats and 54% of independents say it’s more important to control gun violence, while 70% of Republicans say it’s more important to protect gun rights.