Where America stands on guns

Plus: An ethics investigation into Madison Cawthorn and COVID cases rise again

View this email online May 28, 2022 This week, we looked at ballots in Pennsylvania and an abortion ban in Oklahoma. Plus, a step toward change for America's farmworkers. The Big Picture: Gun Action Unlikely Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has the political world focused -- once again -- on guns. It’s a topic that spurs a lot of passion, so let’s look at where public opinion stands on it. Roughly 4-in-10 households in the U.S. have a gun in them, according to surveys, and broadly speaking, a slim majority of Americans are in favor of stricter laws: Majority want stricter gun laws: Gallup tracks this question and last year found: 52% favor stricter gun laws, 35% say things should be kept as is and 11% say they should be loosened. But that’s down significantly: The percentage who want stricter laws is down 15 points from right after the Parkland, Fla., school shooting in 2018. That was the highest level of support for restrictions since 1993, when violent crime across the country had spiked. The partisan gap has widened: The drop is due to Republicans and independents. Democrats, on the other hand, have increased in their percentage of wanting restrictions since then. On specific measures:  About 9-in-10 say they want expanded background checks and have said so for years. But despite that level of support, Congress has been unable to get anything through because there are details most Republican lawmakers won’t go along with. A ban on assault-style weapons also has majority support: 67% in a Politico/Morning Consult poll taken after the shooting found support for banning the kind of weapon used in the Uvalde shooting, including almost half of Republicans (49%). In past surveys, not right after a mass shooting, slimmer majorities have been in favor of such a ban, but not necessarily Republicans.  President Biden and other Democrats believe an assault-style weapons ban, like the one in place for 10 years in this country a quarter century ago, is the best way to prevent mass casualties. There’s evidence to back that up – when that ban was lifted, mass shootings rose dramatically. But the lack of support among Republican lawmakers and their voters – as well as the conservative-majority Supreme Court’s increased permissibility when it comes to guns – is a big factor as to why such a ban is unlikely to be put back into place at the federal level. What’s more, gun-rights groups, like the NRA, know that the further away from these tragedies, the less people say they are in favor of restrictions. That’s why you hear leaders in their organizations, in moments like these, say “take a pause, don't make any decisions now.” They do that as a tactic to lessen the pressure on lawmakers to act. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Newsletter continues after sponsor message ICYMI: Top Stories Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy John Legend on prosecutors: Musician John Legend is throwing his support behind a number of progressive prosecutors who are running on a promise to reform the criminal justice system. He spoke with NPR about the effort; listen to the interview here. Undated ballots in Pennsylvania: Mail ballots that arrived on time but in envelopes missing dates handwritten by voters have been a flashpoint in recent Pennsylvania elections. Now they could help decide the Republican Senate primary that's now in a recount. COVID cases rising again: The U.S. is seeing an average of more than 100,000 reported new COVID-19 cases across the country every day. And thanks to the prevalence of at-home testing, the real number of new cases is likely much higher. Oklahoma abortion ban: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the nation’s strictest abortion ban into law this week, making the state the first in the U.S. to effectively end access to the procedure. The law only makes exceptions in cases of rape, incest or saving the life of a patient.  Cawthorn ethics investigation: GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who recently lost his reelection bid in North Carolina’s Republican primary, is facing an investigation from the House Ethics Committee. The investigation centers on allegations that he promoted a cryptocurrency in which he had a personal financial interest and engaged "in an improper relationship" with a member of his staff. — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer Going Deeper: Spotlight on America's Farms  Gosia Wozniacka/AP Last November, 24 farm labor contractors and recruiters were charged in an alleged human trafficking scheme. The 54-page indictment described conditions on a Georgia onion farm as "modern day slavery" where workers allegedly faced wage theft and physical abuse and were illegally transported. The case, dubbed Operation Blooming Onion, has spurred action from DHS, according to a letter sent from the department to Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. In the letter, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Ossoff the department plans to start a proposed rulemaking process, which would address some of the biggest issues brought to light in Operation Blooming Onion, such as workers being overcharged, issued illegal fees for visa applications and processing. But the process could still take years. Still, Ossoff sees the promise of a new rule as a prominent first step in addressing long-standing abuses in agriculture labor — a sector increasingly relying on visas. Most recently, the Labor Department noted the number of H-2A visas has more than tripled since 2012. — Ximena Bustillo, NPR Politics reporter Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Vermont Public Radio (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? 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