Seven of ten Americans say new legislation reducing gun violence should be prioritized over protecting gun rights amid a deadly string of mass shootings, according to a new ABC/Ipsos poll. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said gun rights should be a higher priority than reducing gun violence, The Hill reports. Ninety percent of Democrats said lawmakers should prioritize laws focused on reducing gun violence, while 75 percent of respondents who identify as Independents agreed. However, 56 percent of Republican respondents said protecting the rights of gun owners guns is a higher priority.
In response to the wave of mass shootings, President Biden urged lawmakers last week to address gun violence by passing laws to expand background checks, implement a national red flag law system and ban the sale of assault-style rifles. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is helping lead bipartisan gun reform talks in the Senate, said on Sunday that any potential deal on legislation would not include an assault weapons ban or “comprehensive” background checks. "We’re not going to do everything I want,” Murphy told CNN. “We’re not going to put a piece of legislation on the table that’s going to ban assault weapons, or we’re not going to pass comprehensive background checks,” he said. “But right now, people in this country want us to make progress. They just don’t want the status quo to continue for another 30 years.”