More Voters Say Gun Control is a Factor in Selecting Political Candidates
More than six in 10 (61%) U.S. registered voters say gun control is one of many important factors in choosing the candidate they vote for, up from 54% in 2015, the last time Gallup asked this question. At the same time, the percentage dismissing gun control entirely as a voting issue is at a new low of 12%. And nearly a quarter of U.S. registered voters, 24%, say they would vote only for a candidate who shares their views on gun control, basically unchanged from 2015.
These data come from Gallup's annual Crime survey, conducted Oct. 5-11. This was shortly after the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest such shooting in U.S. history. Overall, 85% of registered voters now indicate that the gun issue will at least factor into their voting for major offices, the highest in Gallup's limited trend.