Ownership Restrictions

Key Point Summary

A significant majority of Americans support targeted restrictions on gun access for people identified as high risk. These include restrictions for people involved in domestic violence, young people under age 21, people with dangerous mental-health issues, and other people identified under the umbrella of "red flag" laws as being high risk.

  • Red flag laws, which allow police or family members to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from someone deemed dangerous, receive strong and consistent majority support across surveys.
  • Restrictions tied to dangerous mental health conditions also draw very high support from Americans.
  • Domestic-violence-related firearm restrictions are also largely favored by Americans. Surveys show strong support both for the underlying policy and for Supreme Court decisions upholding it.
  • Raising the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21 is consistently supported across multiple surveys and question variants.

Bottom line: Americans consistently support targeted gun ownership restrictions focused on individuals who are identified as potentially dangerous or at high risk of violent acts, along with minimum age thresholds. Along with background checks, these are among the most widely-supported gun-policy measures measured in available survey data.

Availability of Data and Confidence in Conclusions

This assessment draws on 26 unique questions from 13 nationally representative surveys conducted between June 2022 and August 2024, with a combined sample size of 18,528. The evidence base is substantial, covering four major policy areas—red flag laws, domestic-violence restrictions, mental-health-based restrictions, and age minimums—across multiple independent organizations. Results are highly consistent across policy types and survey sources, with support remaining strong throughout. The domestic-violence items are especially well supported methodologically because they include repeated measures before and after the Supreme Court's Rahimi 2024 decision upholding domestic-violence firearm restrictions. No surveys in this dataset were conducted in 2025 or 2026.

Overall Confidence: GOOD.

Policy Implications

The American public's strong support for red flag laws, domestic-violence prohibitions, mental-health-based restrictions, and age limits on gun purchases suggests that policymakers can pursue these measures with confidence that they align with public opinion. These policies are among the most politically viable gun-policy proposals measured in public opinion data.

Americans appear to view these policies as reasonable safety measures minimizing potential danger posed by clearly defined high-risk groups. Age-based restrictions also appear politically viable, particularly when linked to public safety concerns.

The strong support for domestic-violence firearm restrictions—including the favorable reaction to the Supreme Court's 2024 Rahimi decision—suggests that Americans affirm public policy interventions as compatible with Second Amendment protections.

Detailed Discussion

Americans show strong support for targeted restrictions on gun access by individuals who are identified as potentially dangerous, abusive, or for those under age 21.

Red flag laws allow a court to temporarily restrict someone's access to firearms if they are judged to pose a serious risk to themselves or others. Such laws receive strong and consistent public approval across multiple surveys.

  • 83% of Americans interviewed in a 2022 survey support allowing police or family members to petition a judge to remove guns from a person at risk for violent behavior. [1]
  • A 2022 survey found 81% of registered voters in favor of allowing police to temporarily take guns from people shown to be a danger to themselves or others [2]; 80% of registered voters favored the same idea in 2023. [3]
  • 81% of Americans in a 2022 survey favored allowing courts to order the confiscation of guns from people who been determined to be a danger to themselves or others. [4]
  • Other question wordings produced similarly strong results, including 78% in favor in 2022 [5] and 70% in 2023 [6] for allowing courts to temporarily prevent dangerous people from having guns, as well as 85% in favor in 2023 of a law allowing police to take guns from people found by a judge to be a danger. [7]
  • Significant majorities of Americans—82% in one survey [8]—also favor firearm restrictions for individuals involved in domestic violence.

The Supreme Court's Rahimi 2024 ruling stated that laws prohibiting individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns were constitutional. One survey conducted prior to the ruling showed a significant percentage of Americans said they had not heard enough to have an opinion (when that option was explicitly provided) [9], but later questions that spelled out the parameters of the ruling found much higher support: 72% in March 2024 [10] and 75% in May 2024 [11] said the Court should uphold the law. After the ruling, 77% favored the Court's decision upholding the restriction. [12]

Questions asking about domestic violence restrictions without reference to the Supreme Court decision ("banning those convicted of domestic violence from purchasing guns", "prohibiting gun possession by people subject to domestic-violence restraining orders" showed similar levels of approval.

  • In 2022, 82% of Americans favored a federal law banning those convicted of domestic violence from purchasing guns. [8]
  • Support was also strong in 2024 for the law prohibiting gun possession by people subject to domestic-violence restraining orders. [10, 11, 12]

The American public shows near universal support for restricting gun access for those identified as having mental-health-related issues.

  • A 2023 survey found 94% of adults favored preventing certain people with mental health problems — such as convicted felons or those with mental health problems — from owning guns. [13]
  • Other questions found 86% in favor of prohibiting people determined to be a danger to themselves or others from purchasing firearms [14] 85% in favor of a federal law preventing mentally ill people from purchasing guns [15], and 89% in favor of preventing people with mental illnesses from purchasing guns. [16]
  • More general mental-health screening proposals also engendered high levels of support from Americans, with 78% of registered voters (2022) [17] and 80% of registered voters (2023) [18] in favor of requiring mental health checks on all gun buyers.

Americans are also strongly in favor of restricting gun purchases among young people. Support for such restrictions for those under age 21 is generally in the 70% range, with one survey finding eight in 10 supported the idea. [19-25].

  • 74% of Americans supported raising the minimum legal age to buy any gun to 21 nationwide [19], 78% of registered voters favored raising the minimum age to buy all guns to 21 [20], and 81% of registered voters favored that same policy in a 2023 survey. [21]
  • Other questions reinforce the universality of these attitudes among Americans: 76% of national adults favored raising the legal age for certain firearms from 18 to 21 [22], 75% of national adults favored making 21 the minimum legal age to buy any gun nationwide [23], and 79% of national adults favored increasing the minimum age for buying guns to 21. [24]
  • Another 2023 survey found 80% favored preventing people under age 21 from buying any type of gun. [25]

  • Support was higher (82% of registered voters) for raising the minimum age specifically for assault rifles and semiautomatic weapons. [26]

Impact of Question Wording and Other Survey Factors

Support for policies restricting certain categories of individuals from purchasing guns is robust across question wording. Support remains consistently high in response to questions asking about the police temporarily taking guns from dangerous individuals, courts ordering the removal of guns after threatening behavior, and other restrictions tied to violence risk, domestic abuse, or another clearly defined high-risk status.

The inclusion of institutional language about courts, judges, or restraining orders also does not appear to significantly affect support. Respondents seem comfortable with restrictions when they are framed as targeted, temporary, and linked to a formal legal process.

One meaningful distinction does emerge among questions related to mental health. Support is somewhat lower for requiring mental health checks on all gun buyers than it is for prohibiting gun ownership or purchasing by people already identified as dangerous.

Trends Over Time

Support for targeted restrictions aimed at high-risk individuals remained consistently strong across surveys conducted from 2022 through 2024. There is no sign of a meaningful decline in support over time.

  • Restrictions on dangerous individuals remained strongly supported across 2022 and 2023. Questions about allowing courts or police to temporarily remove guns from people found to be dangerous drew 78% to 83% favorability in 2022. Comparable questions in 2023 found 80% and 85% in favor, with one lower reading at 70% that still reflected a clear majority.
  • Minimum age requirements also remained stable and popular. In 2022, support for raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21 ranged from 74% to 78%, depending on wording. In 2023, support remained at similarly high levels, including 81% for raising the minimum age for all guns to 21 and 80% for preventing people under 21 from buying any type of gun.

Bottom line: Across all three of these policy domains for the years in which data are available, the trend is one of stability or modest strengthening.

Citations

  1. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. (2022). Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Support Raising Legal Age To Buy Any Gun, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Assault Weapons Ban Hits A Low. Fielded 6/3/22-6/6/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  2. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2022). More voters put trust in Republicans to handle inflation, crime. Fielded 6/10/22-6/13/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  3. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2023). Two-thirds say abortion pill should be legal. Fielded 4/21/23-4/24/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  4. Gallup Organization. (2022). Public Pressure for Gun Legislation Up After Shootings. Fielded 6/1/22-6/20/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  5. Associated Press/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2022). About 1 in 5 Americans say gun violence has touched their lives and even more fear being a victim. Fielded 7/28/22-8/1/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  6. Associated Press/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2023). GOP support for gun restrictions slips a year after Congress passed firearms law. Fielded 8/10/23-8/14/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  7. Marquette Law School/SSRS. (2023). New Marquette Law School Poll National Survey Finds Trump and DeSantis Leading Biden in Head-to-Head Matches. Fielded 5/8/23-5/18/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  8. Associated Press/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2022). About 1 in 5 Americans say gun violence has touched their lives and even more fear being a victim. Fielded 7/28/22-8/1/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  9. Marquette Law School/SSRS. (2024). New Marquette Law School National Survey Finds Approval of U.S. Supreme Court at 40%, Public Split on Removal of Trump from Ballot. Fielded 2/5/24-2/15/24. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  10. Marquette Law School/SSRS. (2024). New Marquette Law School Poll National Survey Finds Upturn in Approval of U.S. Supreme Court. Fielded 3/18/24-3/28/24. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  11. Marquette Law School/SSRS. (2024). New Marquette Law School Poll National Survey Finds Approval of U.S. Supreme Court Falls to 39%, Second Lowest Since 2020. Fielded 5/6/24-5/15/24. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  12. Marquette Law School/SSRS. (2024). New Marquette Law School Poll National Survey Finds Uptick in Approval of U.S. Supreme Court, but Disapproval Remains Above 50%. Fielded 7/24/24-8/1/24. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  13. CNN/SSRS. (2023). CNN/SSRS Poll on Gun Policies May 2023. Fielded 5/17/23-5/20/23.
  14. Gallup Organization. (2022). Public Pressure for Gun Legislation Up After Shootings. Fielded 6/1/22-6/20/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  15. Associated Press/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2022). About 1 in 5 Americans say gun violence has touched their lives and even more fear being a victim. Fielded 7/28/22-8/1/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  16. Pew Research Center/Ipsos. (2023). Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem. Fielded 6/5/23-6/11/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  17. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2022). More voters put trust in Republicans to handle inflation, crime. Fielded 6/10/22-6/13/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  18. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2023). Two-thirds say abortion pill should be legal. Fielded 4/21/23-4/24/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  19. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. (2022). Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Support Raising Legal Age To Buy Any Gun, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Assault Weapons Ban Hits A Low. Fielded 6/3/22-6/6/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  20. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2022). More voters put trust in Republicans to handle inflation, crime. Fielded 6/10/22-6/13/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  21. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2023). Two-thirds say abortion pill should be legal. Fielded 4/21/23-4/24/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  22. Gallup Organization. (2022). Public Pressure for Gun Legislation Up After Shootings. Fielded 6/1/22-6/20/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  23. Associated Press/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2022). About 1 in 5 Americans say gun violence has touched their lives and even more fear being a victim. Fielded 7/28/22-8/1/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  24. Pew Research Center/Ipsos. (2023). Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem. Fielded 6/5/23-6/11/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  25. CNN/SSRS. (2023). CNN/SSRS Poll on Gun Policies May 2023. Fielded 5/17/23-5/20/23.
  26. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. (2022). More voters put trust in Republicans to handle inflation, crime. Fielded 6/10/22-6/13/22. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.

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