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Young Americans support gun regulations but not gun ban, study finds

Posted at 11:24 AM, Jul 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 11:24:43-04

A new study from the University of Michigan found that young Americans support gun regulation, but not gun bans.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, took responses from nearly 800 Americans between the ages of 14 and 24.

The researchers used MyVoice, a text messaging platform designed to get fast and qualitative responses from youth, used through Facebook and Instagram between July 2017 and January 2018.

Of the 772 people who responded, two-thirds were "pro" or conditionally pro having guns at home, two-thirds said gun control laws would decrease mass shootings and one-third felt gun control laws would not be enough to impact mass shootings.       

"Like their adult counterparts, most youths are not asking to ban all guns or to repeal the Second Amendment," Kendrin Sonneville, assistant professor at the U-M School of Public Health and the author of the study said in a release. "Rather, they support legislative action that they believe would make their country safer."

Researchers are also using the MyVoice service to research issues on the opioid crisis, youth and sleep, transgender bathroom policies and more.