| More Strict | Less Strict | Left as they are now | Don't Know/no opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Sample | 44% | 16% | 36% | 4% |
| Democrats | 80 | 3 | 12 | 6 |
| Republicans | 14 | 26 | 58 | 3 |
| Independents | 39 | 22 | 35 | 4 |
| Tea Party Republicans | 7 | 40 | 54 | 0 |
| Mainline Republicans | 23 | 18 | 55 | 4 |
| Men | 40 | 24 | 35 | 2 |
| Women | 48 | 10 | 37 | 6 |
| Male Democrats |
79 | 5 | 14 | 2 |
| Female Democrats |
80 | 1 | 10 | 9 |
| Male Republicans |
11 | 36 | 53 | 0 |
| Female Republicans |
16 | 16 | 62 | 5 |
| Urban | 56 | 11 | 29 | 3 |
| Suburban | 41 | 17 | 38 | 4 |
| Rural | 34 | 22 | 40 | 4 |
| Urban Democrats |
84 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Suburban Democrats |
79 | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| Rural Democrats |
69 | 6 | 20 | 4 |
| Urban Republicans |
17 | 23 | 59 | 1 |
| Suburban Republicans |
12 | 26 | 59 | 4 |
| Rural Republicans |
15 | 28 | 56 | 2 |
| Gun Owners | 31 | 24 | 43 | 2 |
| Non-Gun Owners | 59 | 9 | 27 | 5 |
| White | 34 | 19 | 44 | 3 |
| African American | 81 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Hispanic | 54 | 12 | 28 | 6 |
Mouse-over for notes about the data
Measurement of Party ID for this chart is based on two questions. First, respondents were asked whether they consider themselves to be a Democrats, Republicans, independents, other, or not sure. Those who responded that they are independents or "other" were then asked if they lean toward either the Democrats or Republicans. If they indicated that they lean toward one party or the other, they are considered Democrats or Republicans for the purposes of this figure. Only "pure" independents or members of a third party who indicate that they have no preference for Democrats vis-a-vis Republicans are considered independents . Respondents who answered that they are "not sure" for either of the two aforementioned questions are not incorporated into this chart.
Tea Party identification is based on the following question, also asked in the survey: "Suppose the Tea Party movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district?" Those who responded "Republican candidate" are considered Republicans (Mainline Republicans) and those who responded "Tea Party candidate" are considered Tea Party Republicans.
To assess the environment of respondents, we asked, "Would you say that you live in an urban, suburban, or rural community?"
Finally, to assess gun ownership, respondents were asked, "Do you or does any other member of your household own a handgun, rifle, shot-gun, or any other kind of firearm?" Respondents who indicated that they owned a gun or that they and another family member own a gun were classified as gun owners.