Most Americans, including half of independents and Republicans, support a ban on checking handguns into aircraft baggage
In recent years, America has, unfortunately, become used to mass shootings, but the recent mass shooting by an Iraq War veteran in Fort Lauderdale has sparked some concern. In the shooting at the Florida city's airport, the man, Estaban Santiago, had checked a handgun into his baggage. After retrieving it from the carousel he loaded it in a bathroom and then allegedly murdered five people, exposing a weakness in airport security.
The latest research from YouGov finds that most Americans (57%) support a ban on checking handguns into luggage, while only 26% oppose a ban. Support for a ban is strongest among Democrats (72%) but even 49% of independents and Republicans support the measure.
The partisan divide on the issue of handguns on planes is markedly smaller than the divide when it comes to general laws on the sale of handguns. While 73% of Democrats want it to be harder to buy a handgun, only 32% of Republicans agree.
