Story perspectives

Strong NRA Support Boosts Political Violence Endorsement Among US Adults

6/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers analyzing 8,361 U.S. adults in a mid-2023 survey found strong NRA approval correlates with higher support for political violence.
Forty-four percent of strong NRA approvers say violence is usually or always justified for political goals, and 10.6 percent would consider lone-actor attacks, versus 21.5 percent and 1.9 percent respectively among non-approvers.
Only 49.8 percent of NRA approvers own guns, yet 23.6 percent favor authoritarian leadership compared with 10.9 percent of non-approvers.

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Story summary

Researchers analyzing 8,361 U.S. adults in a mid-2023 survey found strong NRA approval correlates with higher support for political violence.
Forty-four percent of strong NRA approvers say violence is usually or always justified for political goals, and 10.6 percent would consider lone-actor attacks, versus 21.5 percent and 1.9 percent respectively among non-approvers.
Only 49.8 percent of NRA approvers own guns, yet 23.6 percent favor authoritarian leadership compared with 10.9 percent of non-approvers.