NRA Losing Ground Among Younger Members Who Support Banning Semi-automatic AR-15 Rifles
In the wake of the Parkland, Florida school attack last week, we launched a national poll to identify the sentiments of NRA members and those living in a household with an NRA member. The results suggest a shift among younger NRA members. While overall 57% of NRA members say they oppose banning AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, that number is just 38% among 18-24 year old’s in NRA households.
Combining support for the ban and those who are unsure in this age category totals 62%. While pro-gun American households are clearly against further controls on assault-style weapons, even in the face of seventeen deaths at the hand of a teen with this type of gun at a high school in Florida, there is a demographic shift coming.
These numbers suggest that the NRA is losing the battle among younger American gun owners and those living in member households.
Watch the media make celebrities out the student survivors of the Parkland attack. This trend will likely continue and make it harder to politicians to ignore their plea for change.
Some notes about methodology: We surveyed 3,192 U.S. adults in an online poll from February 14 -17, 2018. The overall margin of error is +/-1.8%. Among all respondents, 12% self-identified as NRA members or living in a household with an NRA member. We asked those 12% how they felt about banning the sale of assault-style weapons like the AR-15. We did not ask about making them illegal to possess – just about the sale of these guns.
