How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws in 2025? The Decline in Gun Control Support

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By Cassandra McBride

Last Updated:  Nov 25, 2025

Report Highlights: Between 56% to 61% of Americans favor stricter gun laws, while 10%favor more relaxed laws.

  • Women are more supportive of gun control (64%) compared to men (51%), who are more skeptical.
  • Younger adults (18-29) show strong support at 62%, but this decreases with age.
  • Support is highest among postgraduates (72%), while many without college degrees remain unconvinced.
  • Only 28% of Republican-leaning individuals support stricter laws, compared to 86% of Democrat-leaning individuals, highlighting a deep political divide.
Gun control support 2025 infographic showing 56-61% favor stricter laws by gender, age, education, politics

Related Studies: Gun Control Laws and Enforcement Trends | Gun Violence Statistics | Gun Laws vs. Crime Rates

Ammo.com uses high-quality sources to ensure accurate and reliable reporting. Review the sources used in this article HERE.

Methodology

Support for gun control is subjective, so we rely on self-reported surveys to gauge Americans’ opinions on the issue.

Such surveys can vary significantly, and may contain biases. We used data from multiple sources in the interest of providing a balanced and accurate representation of Americans’ attitudes toward gun laws.

It’s important to note that the terms “Gun Laws” and “Gun Control” cover a wide range of legislation that restricts firearm access. While many Americans generally favor some form of gun control, this report does not capture varying levels of support. For instance, most Americans may support laws that restrict access to handguns, but not outright bans.

Note: Differences between the Johns Hopkins National Survey of Gun Policy and polls from Gallup or Pew Research Center largely reflect how each defines “gun control.” NSGP measures support for individual regulations, whereas Gallup and Pew measure general sentiment toward stricter gun laws. These metrics are not interchangeable, and direct percentage comparisons may misrepresent shifts in public opinion.

Public Opinion on Gun Control in the United States

Recent surveys suggest that 56% to 61% of Americans support gun control. (Pew, 2023/Gallup 2024)

More than a quarter of Americans (26%) feel that gun laws should be kept the same, while 10-15% of Americans feel gun controls should be less strict. (Pew, 2023/Gallup 2024)

This support is highly divided along demographic lines such as gender, age, education, and political affiliation. This highlights the complexity and polarization of the gun control debate in the United States.

Americans views on gun control horizontal bar chart showing 58% support control, 26% current laws, 12% relax

How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Political Party?

According to Pew, only 28% of Republican-leaning individuals back stricter gun purchase laws. Within this group, moderate or conservative Republicans show the least support, with only 19% in favor, while liberal-leaning Republicans are more supportive at 42%. (Pew, 2023)

Support for gun control is significantly higher among left-leaning Americans. Liberal-leaning Democrats are most likely to support gun control (92%). Even among conservative and moderate Democrats, support remains high at 81%. All together, 86% of Democrat-leaning Americans support gun control. (Pew, 2023)

A smaller 2025 Johns Hopkins survey suggests that 63% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats support requiring permits to purchase. (Johns Hopkins, 2025)

Gun control support by political party bar chart showing Democrats 81-92% vs Republicans 19-42%

How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Age?

Support for strict gun control tends to decrease with age. Young adults aged 18 to 29 show the highest level of support at 62%. This figure drops to 55% among those aged 65 and older.

Support for relaxing gun control laws remains consistent among all age groups. 15% of Americans aged 18 to 64 favor relaxing gun laws, and 14% of those over 65 agree.

Gun control views by age bar chart showing 55-62% favor stricter laws across age groups 18-65+

How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Gender?

Women are significantly more likely to support stricter gun laws than men, with 64% of women in favor compared to only 51% of men.

Additionally, men are more likely to oppose gun control, with 21% against it, compared to just 9% of women.

Americans views on gun control by gender bar chart showing men 51% vs women 64% favor stricter laws

How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Education Level?

Americans with higher education levels show the strongest support for stricter gun laws. Among them, 72% of those with postgraduate degrees favor more stringent regulations, followed by 63% of those with college degrees.

In contrast, support is lower among those with only a high school education or less. Of this group, 52% are the least likely to back stricter gun laws, although 56% still express support for increased regulations.

Americans views on gun control by education level bar chart showing 52-72% favor by education group

Trends in Support for Stricter Gun Laws Over Time

Support for stricter gun laws has significantly declined over the years, while the desire for more relaxed laws has grown. In 1990, a substantial 78% of Americans favored stricter gun control, with only 2% wanting more lenient regulations. (Gallup, 2024)

By 2010, support for stricter laws had dropped to less than half (44%). However, it rebounded in 2020, rising to 57%. (Gallup, 2024)

In 2023, opposition to gun control reached a two-decade high, with 15% of Americans wanting less strict regulations. Opposition then declined to 10% in 2024. (Gallup, 2024)

Between 2023 and 2025, Johns Hopkins surveys found little to no change in gun control support.

Trends in support for stricter gun laws over time 1990-2024 bar chart showing decline from 78% to 58%

Shifting Perspectives: Growing Resistance to Stricter Gun Control

Gun control remains one of the most debated issues in America.

While younger individuals, women, and those with higher education levels often support stricter regulations, there is significant and growing resistance among other demographics. 

Men, older adults, conservative-leaning citizens, and those without a college degree increasingly voice concerns about government overreach and the potential erosion of self-defense rights.

With public opinion becoming more divided and opposition reaching new highs, understanding these dissenting perspectives is essential as the nation navigates this complex and evolving issue.

Sources

  1. Pew Research Center: Facts About Americans and Guns
  2. Gallup: Guns
  3. Gallup: Majority in U.S. Continues to Favor Stricter Gun Laws
  4. National Survey of Gun Policy

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Written by Cassandra McBride

Infographics

Guest Contributor

Self-Reliance Central publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of SRC. Reproduced with permission.