They believe, just like you license drivers, regulate cars and subject them to safety checks, there should be a parallel set of regulations for guns. Half think having a gun in the home makes it safer for the people who live there versus about one-third who feel the opposite way. Two-thirds think the current laws vary too much from state to state, and about half would solve the problem by putting gun control completely in the hands of the federal government. About half think the current gun regulations aren't strict, even though slightly more Americans think they're adequate than think they're inadequate. Nelson Lund, a law professor at George Mason University Law School in Virginia, says those last numbers don' t necessarily conflict with each other.
Most people agree, however, on a range of actions they'd like to see government take.
Overwhelming majorities think gun companies should be required to put safety devices such as trigger locks on their weapons to makes sure they can't be fired by anyone but the owner. They also think gun manufacturers should be subjected to consumer safety regulations which would make sure the weapons work the way they're supposed to and are put together correctly. Most think anyone who wants to buy a gun should have to attend a clinic on how to properly use one. Nearly 90 percent agree with the provision of the federal Brady Law requiring that gun buyers wait five days before the sale goes through so that their backgrounds can be checked by law enforcement. There's also widespread agreement that felons and known drug users should be barred from owning guns.