Most Americans disagree with Supreme Court gun ruling, but blame mental health for mass shootings: new poll

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A new poll released Thursday suggests that a majority of Americans disagree with the recent Supreme Court decision relaxing gun laws, but also believe that America's mental health crisis is to blame for the surge of mass shootings.

The Monmouth University poll released Thursday found that 54% of the public believe there should be more restrictions on the right to bear arms, with 30% believing the Second Amendment right is absolute. 

And 15% even stated that the Second Amendment should be done away with completely and removed from the Constitution.

"Both the Supreme Court and the American public are bitterly divided on the question of gun access," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. 

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A protester holds signs calling for an end to gun violence in front of the Supreme Court on June 8, 2022, in Washington. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

"The big difference, though, is a majority of the public comes down on the opposite side of the issue from a majority of the court," Murray said.

When asked about the series of recent mass shootings that have shocked the nation, 55% said America's mental health crisis was to blame, while 33% said gun laws are the problem.

Following the Supreme Court ruling overturning New York's concealed carry law, 53% said they believed the volume of mass shootings will continue to rise over the next few years, while 35% believe they will be as frequent as they are today.

The members of the Supreme Court before the retirement Thursday of Justice Stephen Breyer. (AP)

When it came to restrictions on gun laws, 83% of the public voted in favor of requiring background checks for all gun purchases.

And 75% supported red flag gun laws to make it easier for law enforcement to temporarily take away someone's firearms if they are seen as a threat to themselves or others. The poll showed that 60% of gun owners support such laws.

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The poll also found that 55% of Americans would back a ban on the future sale of assault weapons, though most of those respondents did not own a firearm.

Just 34% said they feel less safe after the SCOTUS ruling, and 22% said they felt more safe knowing their state cannot impose restrictions on concealed carry permits.

Gov. Mike DeWine discusses a law that gives school districts the option of arming trained school employees, on June 13, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins)

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The Monmouth survey asked whether the respondents agreed with recent bipartisan gun safety bill that President Biden signed into law last week. Though 36% approved of the new legislation, 35% said they had not even heard of the bill.

The Monmouth University poll was conducted through a telephone survey from June 24-27, 2022, following the Supreme Courts concealed carry ruling. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.