Half of registered voters in Texas support stricter gun laws in the US, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday. The poll comes on the heels of adeadly school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on May 18.
In addition to generally supporting stricter laws, 50% also say they support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, although there is a party divide. Thirty-one percent of Republicans and 83% Democrats support such with independents settling at 50%.
The training of people in schools with guns is important to Texas voters, as they’d rather have armed security officers than armed teachers and school officials, although there is support for both.
A majority supports allowing teachers and school officials to carry guns on school grounds, a controversial issue proposed by President Trump. Seventy-eight percent of Republicans, 72% of men, and 69% of gun owners support such an allowance. Parents who have kids under the age of 18 in schools support this proposition by 56%, with 42% in opposition.
There is higher support (87%) for having armed security officers in schools. No single demographic group opposes this action, with the lowest level of support coming from Democrats at 77%. Every single other group supports this action at over 80%, including parents.
Another touchy subject is whether or not to hold parents legally responsible if their child commits a crime with a parent’s gun. Under Texas law, prosecutors can file a misdemeanor charge against a gun owner who doesn’t properly secure their weapons if a child gains access to it. Only 64% support a law requiring that all guns be kept in a locked place, with those numbers increasing among Democratic subgroups, but no change among parents of kids under 18.
The same number of voters (64%) support holding parents legally responsible if their child commits a crime with the gun. Parents are no more likely than anyone else to agree with this statement, at 65%. Men are more likely than women to say parents should be held responsible with 65% of men and 61% of women saying they support legal action.
The Quinnipiac survey also showed very high support for requiring background checks among gun buyers, at 93% support. The support of background checks is a nonpartisan issue, with no real difference in support among Republicans, Democrats, and independents. Even among gun owners, 92% support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.
