Universal background checks enjoy high levels of public support ; a 2016 representative survey found 86 % of U.S. registered voters supported the measure . Five national polls conducted in 2015 show high levels of support for " expanded background checks for gun purchases , " with rates varying ( 93 % and 89 % support in two Quinnipiac University surveys , 92 % support in a CBS / '' New York Times '' survey , 86 % support in a Gallup survey , 85 % support in a Pew Research Center survey ) . A 2015 survey found that more than 90 % of Americans supported universal background checks , and that , on average , Americans thought they would be more effective than any other gun policy . There is evidence that many Americans incorrectly think that universal background checks are required by federal law ; a 2016 survey found that 41 % of Americans believed this to be the case . The same survey found that 77 % of Americans supported universal background checks , while only 53 % supported stricter gun laws . Based on this data , the authors concluded that " this difference might be attributable to poor awareness of the limitations of existing laws . " In 2015 , large majorities of American adults , both Republicans ( 79 % ) and Democrats ( 88 % ) , supported background checks for private sales and at gun shows , according to a Pew Research Center survey . In 2017 , strong majorities of American adults , both gun owners ( 77 % ) and non-gun owners ( 87 % ) , supported background checks for private sales and at gun shows , according to a Pew Research Center survey with an error attributable to sampling of / - 2.8 % at the 95 % level of confidence . In 2018 , after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland , Florida , nearly all Americans supported universal background checks . 88 % of registered voters supported universal background checks , according to a '' Politico '' / Morning Consult poll with a margin of error / - 2 % . 97 % of American voters supported universal background checks , according to a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll with a margin of error of / - 3.4 %
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Universal background check