Asked if they'd support universal background checks on gun sales, Florida voters strongly agreed, according to a new survey from St. Pete Polls.
What's arguably most interesting about the poll is how it asked voters specifically whether they'd support amending the state Constitution to require universal background checks on all firearms sales in the state.
Surprisingly – or perhaps unsurprisingly given the Sunshine State's history with mass shootings – 77 percent of the poll enthusiastically agreed with the idea, while 17 percent said no and another 6 percent remained unsure.
The responses were vaguely divided across party lines, but not to the extent most of the state's partisan hacks might have you think.
Eighty-seven percent of Democrats said they'd support such a measure, and less than 9 percent were against it. For Republicans, 66 percent said they would approve of the checks, while 27 percent claimed they would not. And 78 percent of independent voters said they would support background checks, with 15 percent claiming they would oppose them.
The consistency in public sentiment should speak for itself. Yet what's ringing loud and clear is the opposition among some of the state's elected officials, as the Legislature dodged the opportunity to hold a committee vote in both chambers on similar legislation earlier this year. And that's not the only nugget of wisdom the poll provides.
The results also suggest that, should the idea be formalized as a ballot proposal, it would have enough support among voters to meet the 60 percent threshold needed to become an amendment. For more on St. Pete Polls' results, click here.
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