- 76% of students believe gun laws should be more strict than they are today.
- 6 in 10 (61%) students worry that a mass shooting could happen at their school.
- College students overwhelmingly favor universal background checks (93%), extending the background check review period (84%), and banning assault-style weapons (68%).
Following three mass shootings in a single week that reignited the national discussion around gun reform, college students from every part of the country overwhelmingly support gun control measures.
A new survey of 5,000 undergraduates found that three-quarters (76%) believe gun laws should be more strict than they are today. With the number of mass shootings in 2019 rising to 272, more than 6 in 10 (61%) students say they are at least somewhat worried that a mass shooting could happen at their school. Four in 10 (40%) say they are likely to avoid crowded places or go out less in order to feel safer.
Three-Quarters of College Students Think U.S. Gun Laws Should be Stricter
Do you think gun laws should be…
There’s widespread support for measures aimed at closing loopholes in the background check process that have been stalled in the U.S. Senate since passing through the House of Representatives in February. More than 9 in 10 (93%) students favor universal background checks for all gun purchases, while 8 in 10 (84%) support extending the current background check review period from three days to 10.
A majority of students also favor banning assault-style weapons (68%) and high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds (70%), though there’s a wide gender gap. Female students are far more likely than male students to support bans on assault-style weapons (82% vs. 50%) and high-capacity magazines (83% vs. 52%).
Female College Students are More Likely to Support Restrictions on Gun Ownership
Percent of students who favor the following proposals about gun policy.
Students of color are also more likely than white students to support gun control measures. While 64% of white students favor a ban on assault-style weapons, 78% of black students, 74% of Hispanic students, and 72% of Asian students agree. Almost two-thirds (65%) of white students support banning high-capacity magazines, compared to 80% of black students, 78% of Asian students, and 74% of Hispanic students.
Overall, nearly 6 in 10 students (59%) say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who is a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA), compared to 17% who say they are more likely to vote for such a candidate and 23% who say it would not make any difference. Female students are far more likely than male students to say a candidate supporting the NRA would make them less likely to vote for them (69% vs. 45%).
Students with different political leanings have widely divergent views about the NRA. Democratic students are almost 10 times more likely than Republican students to say a candidate supporting the NRA would make them less likely to vote for them (88% vs. 9%), while Republicans are almost 20 times more likely than Democrats to say a candidate supporting the NRA would make them more likely to vote for them (58% vs. 3%). More than half (53%) of Independents say they would be less likely to vote for an NRA supporter.
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Methodology:This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 5,000 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
