Affective Polarization & Support Over Time

Artifact 3: This graph depicts support for gun control by party, specifically in terms of requiring a police permit before owning a gun, over the course of forty-four years from 1972 to 2016. What is significant about this data is that, since the start of data collection, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all had over 50% support for this requirement. However, as affective polarization becomes a bigger issue, the gap between Democratic and Republican opinion widens. Affective polarization is becoming an increasingly concerning issue in relation to gun control specifically.

Artifact 4: This chart shows support for gun control over time, emphasizing how support spikes following major mass shootings before dropping back down again. That being said, each time support drops following a spike, it settles at a slightly higher level than before. This data combined with the fact that the pandemic has worsened mental health and that gun violence rates are predicted to rise after the pandemic contribute to my prediction that things will get worse before they get better in terms of gun violence and gun control.