Library Index :: Crime and Justice in America :: Crime Prevention Law Enforcement and Public Opinions About Crime - City, County, And State Law Enforcement, Federal Law Enforcement, Crime Prevention, The Fear Of Crime - THE DEATH PENALTY

Crime Prevention Law Enforcement and Public Opinions About Crime - Guns

Guns in the Home

In 2002, 41 percent of Americans told the Gallup Poll they had guns in their homes, up from 40 percent in 2001. The proportion of gun ownership stayed relatively stable the last four decades of the twentieth century, ranging from a low of 36 percent in 1999 to a high of 51 percent in October 1993. (See Table 9.18.)

In 2002 the most likely people to own guns were male, with some college, aged 50 to 64 years old, making $50,000 to $74,999 per year, and living in the South (48 percent) or Midwest (45 percent).

Laws Governing Firearm Sales

The regulation of gun sales remained a controversial issue for the nation's citizens into the new century. In 2002 the Gallup Poll reported that 51 percent of those polled felt that laws covering firearm sales should be stricter, a drop from 62 percent in 2000. Thirty-six percent favored keeping the laws as they were, and 11 percent believed the gun laws should be less strict. Fifty-eight percent of females, 59 percent of blacks, and 62 percent of Democrats supported stricter laws, compared to 43 percent of males, 49 percent of whites, and 40 percent of Republicans. Fifty-nine percent of persons living in urban areas felt that firearm sales laws should be stricter, a drop from 67 percent in 2000, while 42 percent of rural residents supported stricter gun laws, a decrease from 53 percent in 2000. (See Table 9.19.)

TABLE 9.15
Public opinion poll on respondents' attitudes toward fairness of application of death penalty, 2003
QUESTION: "GENERALLY SPEAKING, DO YOU BELIEVE THE DEATH PENALTY IS APPLIED FAIRLY OR UNFAIRLY IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY?"

Applied fairly Applied unfairly Don't know/refused
National 60% 37% 3%
Sex
Male 63 35 2
Female 59 38 3
Race
White 65 32 3
Nonwhite 44 54 2
Black 26 71 3
Age
18 to 29 years 64 35 1
30 to 49 years 67 31 2
50 to 64 years 54 44 2
50 years and older 52 44 4
65 years and older 51 44 5
Education
College post graduate 46 51 3
College graduate 54 39 7
Some college 61 36 3
High school graduate or less 67 32 1
Income
$75,000 and over 58 38 4
$50,000 to $74,999 66 32 2
$30,000 to $49,999 66 33 1
$20,000 to $29,999 60 39 1
Under $20,000 52 45 3
Community
Urban area 53 46 1
Suburban area 66 30 4
Rural area 58 40 2
Region
East 55 42 3
Midwest 61 37 2
South 59 37 4
West 68 30 2
Politics
Republican 73 24 3
Democrat 50 47 3
Independent 57 41 2
SOURCE: "Table 2.52: Attitudes Toward Fairness of the Application of the Death Penalty," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003. The Gallup Organization, Inc.

TABLE 9.16
Public opinion poll on respondents' reported confidence in criminal justice system, 2003
QUESTION: "I AM GOING TO READ YOU A LIST OF INSTITUTIONS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE YOU, YOURSELF, HAVE IN EACH ONE—A GREAT DEAL, QUITE A LOT, SOME, OR VERY LITTLE: THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM?"

Great deal/quite a lot Some Very little None1
National 29% 45% 25% 1%
Sex
Male 29 42 27 2
Female 28 47 24 1
Race
White 30 46 23 1
Nonwhite 23 39 35 3
Black 26 32 37 5
Age
18 to 29 years 35 49 15 1
30 to 49 years 26 44 28 2
50 to 64 years 26 49 24 1
50 years and older 28 44 27 1
65 years and older 30 40 29 2
Education
College post graduate 35 48 17 2
College graduate 40 44 15 1
Some college 29 50 20 1
High school graduate or less 23 39 36 2
Income
$75,000 and over 35 46 18 1
$50,000 to $74,999 31 46 23 2
$30,000 to $49,999 31 45 22 2
$20,000 to $29,999 20 43 34 2
Under $20,000 24 41 34 1
Community
Urban area 27 46 26 1
Suburban area 32 44 23 1
Rural area 26 45 28 1
Region
East 29 44 26 1
Midwest 30 48 21 1
South 30 42 26 2
West 25 46 28 1
Politics
Republican 32 44 24 2
Democrat 29 45 24 2
Independent 26 45 27 2
1Response volunteered.
2Less than 0.5%
SOURCE: "Table 2.12: Reported Confidence in the Criminal Justice System, 2003," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003. The Gallup Organization, Inc.

TABLE 9.17
Public opinion poll on respondents' confidence in police, 2003
QUESTION: "I AM GOING TO READ YOU A LIST OF INSTITUTIONS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE YOU, YOURSELF, HAVE IN EACH ONE—A GREAT DEAL, QUITE A LOT, SOME, OR VERY LITTLE: THE POLICE?"

Great deal/quite a lot Some Very little None1
National 61% 29% 9% 1%
Sex
Male 60 28 11 1
Female 61 31 7 1
Race
White 65 27 7 1
Nonwhite 43 37 18 2
Black 43 30 24 3
Age
18 to 29 years 61 25 12 2
30 to 49 years 59 31 10 2
50 to 64 years 63 28 8 1
50 years and older 64 28 8 2
65 years and older 66 27 6 0
Education
College post graduate 67 30 3 2
College graduate 70 26 4 0
Some college 64 27 8 1
High school graduate or less 53 31 15 1
Income
$75,000 and over 70 26 4 2
$50,000 to $74,999 68 24 8 0
$30,000 to $49,999 64 26 9 1
$20,000 to $29,999 48 32 16 3
Under $20,000 49 36 14 1
Community
Urban area 59 26 14 1
Suburban area 64 30 6 2
Rural area 55 33 11 1
Region
East 58 30 10 2
Midwest 62 29 9 2
South 64 26 10 2
West 57 33 9 1
Politics
Republican 70 24 6 0
Democrat 58 30 11 1
Independent 55 32 11 2
1Response volunteered.
2Less than 0.5%.
SOURCE: "Table 2.13: Reported Confidence in the Police 2003," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003. The Gallup Organization, Inc.

TABLE 9.18
Public opinion poll on respondents' reporting having a gun in their home, 1959–2002
QUESTION: "DO YOU HAVE A GUN IN YOUR HOME?"

Yes No
1959 49% 51%
1965 48 52
1968 50 50
1972 43 55
1975 44 54
1980 45 53
1983 40 58
1985 44 55
1989 47 51
1990 47 52
1991 46 53
March 1993 48 51
October 1993 51 48
July 1996 38 60
November 1996 44 54
1997 42 57
1999 36 62
April 2000 42 57
August 2000 39 60
2001 40 59
2002 41 58
SOURCE: "Table 2.56: Respondents Reporting Having a Gun in Their Home, Selected Years 1959–2002," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003. The Gallup Organization, Inc.

TABLE 9.19
Public opinion poll on respondents' attitudes toward laws governing firearm sales, 2002
QUESTION: "IN GENERAL, DO YOU FEEL THAT THE LAWS COVERING THE SALE OF FIREARMS SHOULD BE MADE MORE STRICT, LESS STRICT, OR KEPT AS THEY ARE NOW?"

More strict Less strict Kept as they are now
National 51% 11% 36%
Sex
Male 43 17 39
Female 58 6 34
Race
White 49 11 38
Nonwhite 58 14 28
Black 59 12 29
Age
18 to 29 years 51 10 39
30 to 49 years 52 13 34
50 to 64 years 51 12 34
50 years and older 49 10 38
65 years and older 46 9 42
Education
College post graduate 61 10 28
College graduate 59 5 34
Some college 47 16 36
High school graduate or less 47 11 40
Income
$75,000 and over 57 11 31
$50,000 to $74,999 49 12 38
$30,000 to $49,999 53 13 32
$20,000 to $29,999 52 10 38
Under $20,000 48 8 42
Community
Urban area 59 11 30
Suburban area 51 12 35
Rural area 42 11 45
Region
East 59 10 29
Midwest 49 10 39
South 47 12 40
West 49 13 36
Politics
Republican 40 12 46
Democrat 62 8 29
Independent 51 12 35
SOURCE: "Table 2.61: Attitudes toward Laws Covering the Sale of Firearms 2002," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2002, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003. The Gallup Organization, Inc.

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