This week, we’re looking at a pair of new polls from one of the most influential pollsters in the country.
Gallup released new research on guns in America, and it included some really fascinating details. First off, Democrats drove a new decline in approval for a handgun ban. Then, women drove a decline in the gender gap among gun owners. Although, as I explain for Reload Members, there’s a catch to that second one.
We also saw some significant rulings from state courts this week. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld one man’s gun ban despite the strict new legal standard they have to judge firearms cases under now. Their counterpart in Pennsylvania tossed an attempt by Philadelphia to implement its own gun laws by making an end run around state authority.
Meanwhile, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman takes a detailed look at what Donald Trump can do to overturn Joe Biden’s gun legacy on day one, what will take longer, and what is probably beyond his grasp. Plus, Punchbowl co-founder and leading congressional reporter John Bresnahan joins the podcast to discuss what the new Congress might do on guns. And we have a ton of other interesting stories down in the links section!
Poll: Handgun Ban Popularity Drops to Near-Record Low Driven by Falling Democratic Support
By Stephen Gutowski
Only 20 percent of Americans think pistols should be reserved only for police officers, as Democrats abandon the idea.
On Monday, Gallup released a poll on American attitudes on gun policy that found support for a handgun ban fell to a near-record low. While Republican support remained consistent at just six percent, support for a pistol ban fell among Independents and, especially, Democrats. A third of Democrats now support a ban compared to nearly half just a year ago.
Analysis: Gun Ownership Gender Gap Shrinks as Partisan Gap Widens [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
Americans are now more likely to be divided by political party than gender when it comes to whether or not they own a gun.
Those are the findings of new polling Gallup released on Thursday. Republican women and Democratic men largely drove that shift. However, the movement resulted in a wash, with about the same number of Americans reporting they own a gun as they did over a decade ago.
“According to six-year groupings of Gallup’s annual measurement of personal gun ownership since 2007, the percentage of Republican women who own a gun has increased from 19% in 2007-2012 to 33% in 2019-2024,” Jeffrey Jones, who oversees Gallup research and analysis, said in a post about the polling. “Meanwhile, the rate has fallen seven percentage points among Democratic men, to 29%, and is down five points among independent men, to 39%.”
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds State Preemption Over Philly Gun Laws
By Jake Fogleman
Philadelphia’s latest and most far-reaching attempt to enact its own gun laws was brotherly-shoved out of court on Wednesday.
In a unanimous 6-0 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court tossed the city’s lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption laws (FPLs), which prohibit local governments from passing gun laws stricter than the state’s laws, as unconstitutional. The Court ruled that Philadelphia’s legal theory for bringing the case did not withstand scrutiny.
“[A]ppellants have failed to state a legally cognizable claim that the FPLs are unconstitutional or otherwise infirm on the asserted grounds that: (1) the FPLs violate substantive due process; (2) the FPLs violate the state-created danger doctrine; and (3) the FPLs interfere with Philadelphia’s delegated duties under the LHAL and DPCL,” Justice Kevin Brobson wrote in Crawford v. Commonwealth.
Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Gun Law Despite New ‘Strict Scrutiny’ Standard
By Jake Fogleman
The Hawkeye State may limit the gun rights of people who have been involuntarily committed over mental health concerns, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled on Friday.
In a divided 4-3 decision, the state’s highest court upheld a lower court decision against a man who was denied a concealed carry permit because he was involuntarily committed as a teenager. It ruled that the state’s gun rights restoration process does not violate the state’s recently adopted constitutional arms protection.
“The State has a compelling interest in preventing gun violence and suicide,” Justice Thomas Waterman wrote for the majority. “Section 724.31 is narrowly tailored to serve that interest by keeping firearms from dangerous persons while allowing restoration of firearm rights upon a petitioner’s showing they are no longer a threat to public safety. We decline to shift the burden of proof under section 724.31 from the petitioner to the State.”
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Podcast: Punchbowl’s John Bresnahan on Guns in the Next Congress
By Stephen Gutowski
This week, we have a new Senate Majority Leader and are getting a clearer picture of what the next Congress will look like. But what will it do on gun policy?
To answer that question, we have one of the preeminent congressional reporters on the show. Punchbowl co-founder John Bresnahan has been covering Congress for decades now. He knows all of the key players in Congress, including new Majority Leader John Thune.
You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel.
Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I cover a significant new ruling out of Illinois, where a federal judge found the state’s ban on “assault weapons” unconstitutional. We also cover the growing chorus of voices calling on President-elect Trump to dismantle President Biden’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, with the gun industry’s trade group formally making the request this week.
Analysis: How Trump Can and Can’t Undo Biden’s Gun Policies [Member Exclusive]
By Jake Fogleman
Reversing all of his predecessor’s gun-control policies is one of the few concrete policy pledges President-elect Donald Trump made to gun voters on the campaign trail. Fulfilling that pledge could get complicated.
Shortly before securing his party’s nomination this spring, Trump distilled his gun policy goals to a crowd of NRA members at the group’s Great American Outdoor Show.
“Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my very first week back in office,” Trump told the crowd.
While the promise reflects a degree of typical Trumpian hyperbole, there are a few Biden actions that Trump could derail with immediate dispatch.
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Outside The Reload
Gun sales resume in Washington after system outage halted background checks statewide | KIRO 7 News
New rideshare service with armed drivers to debut in 3 Texas cities | USA Today | By Greta Cross
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
