A whopping 81 percent of Republicans favor background checks for private gun sales, according to a Pew Research poll released Thursday.
But just 57 percent of Republicans said they wanted a background checks bill to pass.
“Many of those who have reservations about the bill express concerns that it includes other restrictions beyond background checks, or that it opens a ‘slippery slope’ toward more government power,” the survey concluded.
Overall, 81 percent of Americans support broader background checks, the survey said. The partisan differences were minimal: 83 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of independents.
But a majority of the public, 56 percent, has soured on the prospects of Congress passing new gun control laws this year.
