WE SURVEYED 1,001 VETERANS ABOUT GUN CONTROL, HERE’S WHAT THEY SAID
We surveyed 1,001 Veterans to get their opinions on gun control. In particular, we asked for input on controversial debate topics like age limits, background checks, arming educators, and more. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S. and a universal presence in the news cycle. VeteranLife sought to find out what our nation’s most qualified citizens have to say about the topic, those who’ve spent their careers training and wielding various firearms – our Veterans. The respondents also provided insight into their own personal firearm cultures, habits, and preferences. We break down the results below. Here are the Key Findings:
- 75.3% of Veterans Think Gun Violence is a Big Problem in America
- 91.3% of Veterans Support Background Checks on Gun Purchasers in All 50 States
- 64% of Veterans Believe the Age to Purchase a Firearm Should be Raised to 21 Nationwide
- 49.1% of Veterans Believe That Both Mental Health and Gun Legislation Contribute to Firearm Incidents
- 63% of Veterans Believe Every State Should Require a License to Own a Firearm
- 61.9% of Veterans Support Mandatory Waiting Periods
- 57.5% of Veterans Think All States Should Implement “Red Flag Laws”
- 56.6% of Veterans Would Not Participate in a Gun Buyback Program
- 36% of Veterans Don’t Own Any Firearms At All
- 58.8% of Veterans Surveyed Own Pistols, 37.2% Own Shotguns, 30.5% Own Hunting Rifles, and 22.5% Own “Assault”-Style Rifles
- 59.2% of Veterans Primarily Own a Gun for Self-Defense
- 66.4% of Veterans Had Prior Experience With Firearms Before Joining the Military
- 50% of Veterans Oppose Arming Educators
The full results and how we obtained them are below.
75.3% of Veterans Think Gun Violence is a Big Problem in America
41% of Americans overall view gun violence as a problem, and just 4% more view it as a “crisis.” This would mean that Veterans are 80% more likely to view gun violence in America as a problem than the general public. 15.4% of Veterans say that gun violence isn’t a big problem in America, and 9.3% responded that it might be.
91.3% of Veterans Support Background Checks
64% of Veterans Support Raising the Legal Age to Purchase a Gun to 21
six states have raised the legal age to buy firearms to 21. A 2019 study from Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions uncovered that 73% of respondents were in favor of increasing the purchase age of semi-automatic rifles to 21. They found that 61% of gun owners were also in favor. The results show that Veterans are a few points more in favor than the average gun owner but less in favor than the general population.
49.1% of Veterans Believe Gun Violence is Both a Gun Control and Mental Health Problem
Annals of Epistemology found that just 4% of gun violence had an underlying link to mental illness. Yet, in the public discourse and mainly among opponents of stricter gun control laws, mental health is often discussed as a higher priority than gun control in cases of mass shootings in America. Veterans are split on this issue, with roughly half reporting a belief that both mental health and gun control are to blame. 33.1% of Veterans believe that mental health is a larger factor than gun control, however. This aligns with but remains less than the general population, as Quinnipiac polls have found that 40% of Americans believe that mental health is a primary factor in gun violence.
63% of Veterans Say That Gun Owners Should Be Licensed
the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, the state of Connecticut saw a 28% reduction in gun violence after passing its licensure law. While the majority is in favor, 29.7% of Veterans are against the idea, and 7.3% are unsure if owners should be licensed.
61.9% of Veterans Support Mandatory Waiting Periods
57.5% of Veterans Think All States Should Implement “Red Flag Laws”
56.6% of Veterans Would Not Participate in a Gun Buyback Program
this poll from the Hill demonstrates. Responses from their poll showed that 76% of voters backed at least a voluntary buyback program.
36% of Veterans Don’t Own Any Firearms At All
Most Veteran-Owned Guns are Pistols, Followed by Shotguns, and then Rifles
59.2% of Veterans Primarily Own a Gun for Self-Defense
66.4% of Veterans Had Experience With Firearms Before Joining the Military
2020 Gallup Poll found that close to half of U.S. adults live in a household where guns are present, so it stands to reason that more Veterans grow up in households where someone owns a firearm.
50% of Veterans Oppose Arming Educators
95% of educators believe arming teachers is a bad idea. A Pew Research Poll from 2021 found that 43% of U.S. adults were in favor of allowing personnel to carry guns in schools.
Final Thoughts
Opinions on gun control and gun violence in the U.S. are often divided by political party and gun owner status. At VeteranLife, we decided that adding our Veterans’ voices to the conversation would make a productive contribution to the overall narrative. In doing so, we sought to differentiate between the U.S. population in general and those who have a closer relationship and understanding of firearms and the repercussions of using them – the nation’s Veterans. We’d like to thank our Veteran community for providing us with the data points from our poll. If you’d like to read about how we conducted the poll and organized the results, you can find that in our methodology. Have thoughts about our findings? Head over to our Facebook or Twitter page to join in on the conversation and tell us what you think.