Newsletter: Gallup Gives Gun Insights in New Polling

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!


A Sig Sauer pistol on display at the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting
A Sig Sauer pistol on display at the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting / Stephen Gutowski

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.

Click here to read the rest.


A woman inspects a handgun at the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting
A woman inspects a handgun at the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting / Stephen Gutowski

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%.”

If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read more. If not, join today for exclusive access to this story and hundreds more!


The Philadelphia City Hall
The Philadelphia City Hall / Stephen Gutowski

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.

Click here to read more.


An attendee examines a pistol optic at SHOT Show 2024
An attendee examines a pistol optic at SHOT Show 2024 / Stephen Gutowski

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.”

Click here to continue reading.


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.

Audio here. Video here.


A producer watches monitors as Donald Trump gives a speech to the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting
A producer watches monitors as Donald Trump gives a speech to the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting / Stephen Gutowski

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.

If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read the rest. If not, buy a membership today for exclusive access to this and hundreds of other stories!


Outside The Reload

Gun sales resume in Washington after system outage halted background checks statewide | KIRO 7 News

Phila. Jury Hits Sig Sauer With $11M Verdict Over Alleged Gun Defect | The Legal Intelligencer | By Aleeza Furman

Victims of 2022 mass shooting at Colorado LGBTQ+ club sue county for not enforcing red flag laws | AP News | By Jesse Bedayn

NH gun reform failed after hospital shooting. Advocates will try again in 2025 | New Hampshire Public Radio | By Paul Cuno-Booth

Michigan poised to restrict guns at election sites under Democratic bills | Bridge MI | By Lauren Gibbons

Georgia legislative committee proposes new gun safety policies after school shooting | AP News | By Charlotte Kramon

New rideshare service with armed drivers to debut in 3 Texas cities | USA Today | By Greta Cross

SAF, FPC Launch Lawsuits Against New York, Hawaii Gun Carry Restrictions | Bearing Arms | By Cam Edwards


That’s it for this week in guns.

If you want to hear expert analysis of these stories and more, make sure you grab a Reload membership to get our exclusive analysis newsletter every Sunday!

I’ll see you all next week.

Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload

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