根据德克萨斯大学/德克萨斯论坛报的一项新的民意调查，德克萨斯州大多数登记选民支持更严格的枪支管制法律，枪支暴力是孤星州今天面临的第三大问题。
在全州范围内对登记选民的调查中——在8月份该州发生的两起大规模枪击事件导致数十人死亡后进行的调查中，更多的受访者表示枪支法应该保持原样，而不是说应该放松。51%的多数人支持收紧枪支规定调查十月份进行的发现。
德克萨斯州的选民也觉得枪支暴力是一个特别尖锐的问题。枪支问题在认为这是国家面临的最重要问题的选民中排名第七。考虑到德克萨斯州面临的问题，枪支管制和枪支暴力排在第三位。
当调查询问具体政策时，选民支持大众改革。目前，德克萨斯州不要求枪支购买者在从事私人销售时接受背景调查。在德克萨斯大学的调查中，81%的选民支持扩大刑事和精神健康检查，以涵盖私人销售。61%的选民“强烈”支持这一点。
68%的德克萨斯州选民表示支持极端风险保护令或“红旗”法。这些法律允许法院下令临时没收居民的枪支，如果家庭成员或执法人员怀疑这些枪支对自己或他人构成危险，通常没收期限可长达一年。
调查的误差幅度为3.6%。
不到四分之一的德克萨斯州选民原则上反对红旗法案。几乎和“强烈”反对红旗法一样多的选民没有意见。
即使在得克萨斯州，共和党副州长丹·帕特里克也与全国步枪协会就改革该州枪支法律进行了争论。帕特里克在一份声明中指出，尽管德克萨斯州共和党人在枪支权利问题上是最直言不讳的九月采访他“愿意从全国步枪协会拿一支箭”来实施普遍的背景调查。
“像大多数政治策略一样，帕特里克副州长的‘解决方案’先于他掌握事实，”全国步枪协会回应道。
德克萨斯州大多数选民也公开表示支持禁止带有某些通常被称为攻击性武器的外观特征的半自动步枪。
自从2月初德克萨斯大学的一项调查提出类似的问题以来，德州选民对更严格枪支法律的态度并没有实质性的改变。然而，埃尔帕索和敖德萨的大屠杀似乎没有对选民原有的信仰产生持久的重大影响。
尽管支持对枪支法进行一些温和的、有限的改革，但43%的德克萨斯州选民对全国步枪协会持赞同态度。德克萨斯州36%的选民对全国步枪协会持负面看法。
A majority of registered voters in Texas support stricter gun control laws, and gun violence ranks as the third-most important problem facing the Lone Star State today, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.
In the statewide survey of registered voters—conducted after a pair of mass shootings in the state during August left dozens dead—more respondents said that gun laws should remain as is than said should be loosened. A 51-percent majority backed tightening gun rules, the survey conducted in October found.
Voters in Texas also feel that gun violence is an especially acute problem. Gun issues were ranked seventh in the share of voters who perceive it as the most important problem facing the country. When considering problems solely facing the state of Texas, gun control and gun violence ranked third.
When the survey queried about specific policies, voters backed popular reforms. Currently, Texas does not require gun purchasers to undergo background checks when engaging in private sales. In the University of Texas survey, 81 percent of voters supported expanding criminal and mental health checks to encompass private sales. Sixty-one percent of voters "strongly" supported this.
Sixty-eight percent of Texas voters indicated support for extreme risk protection orders or "red flag" laws. These laws allow a court to order the temporary confiscation of a resident's firearm, often for a period of up to a year, if they are suspected by a family member or law enforcement of posing a risk to themselves or others.
The margin of error in the survey was measured at 3.6 percent.
Fewer than one in four Texas voters opposed red flag laws on principle. Almost as many voters had no opinion as "strongly" opposed red flag laws.As the crucible of gun policy freights the national political conversation, individual states are feeling increased pressure to be proactive while Congress takes uncertain steps towards reform.
Even in Texas, Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick sparred with the National Rifle Association over reforming the state's gun laws. While Texas Republicans are among the most outspoken on gun rights, Patrick indicated in a September interview he was "willing to take an arrow" from the NRA to implement universal background checks.
"Like most political gambits, Lt. Gov. Patrick's 'solution' precedes his possession of the facts," the NRA responded.
Majorities of Texas voters also professed support for banning semiautomatic rifles with certain cosmetic features commonly called assault weapons.
Attitudes towards tightening gun laws more generally have not substantially changed among Texas voters since an earlier February survey from the University of Texas asked similar questions. However, it appears that massacres in El Paso and Odessa have not had enduring, significant impacts on voters' preexisting beliefs.
And notwithstanding support for some moderate, limited reforms to gun laws, a plurality of Texas voters—at 43 percent—have a favorable opinion of the NRA. Thirty-six percent of voters in Texas view the NRA unfavorably.
