Poll Comes as the Virginia General Assembly Opens Today with a New Majority Ready to Make Gun Safety a Top Priority
Poll Shows 83% of Virginians Support Background Checks and 82% Support Red Flag Laws
Ahead of the General Assembly session that started today, new polling by the Center for Public Policy at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University shows a bipartisan majority of Virginians favor gun safety laws, with large majorities supporting background checks and red flag laws.
The poll was conducted ahead of the start of the 2020 legislative session when the newly elected Democratic majority officially takes control of the Senate and the House of Delegates. In 2019, gun safety was the number one issue for voters in Virginia and in November, voters overwhelmingly turned out to elect a record number of gun sense candidates up and down the ballot. This week’s poll confirms the majority of Virginians are ready for their new gun sense lawmakers to keep their promises and enact common-sense gun safety laws.
Among the poll’s key findings:
- By a more than three-to-one margin (53% to 17%), Virginians support stricter gun laws versus weaker gun laws.
- Large majorities support background checks, and red flag laws.
- 83% support making private and gun show sales subject to background checks.
- 82% strongly or somewhat agree with red flag laws allowing removal of firearms from those who are deemed harmful to themselves or others, with 65% agreeing strongly.
Today, volunteers with Virginia Moms Demand Action are in Richmond to welcome the new gun sense majority and to advocate for the majority of Virginians who want to see gun safety laws as a top priority for lawmakers. Moms Demand Action Founder Shannon Watts told Washington Post, “We will be there every single day to make sure these life-saving laws are passed.”