Gun legislation is a polarizing topic — especially on the campaign trail, where it is a longtime staple of attack ads on candidates from both parties. But voter attitudes about gun policy aren’t as divided as they seem, according to a study first shared with POLITICO.

A report released Wednesday from 97Percent, surveyed 1,078 gun owners nationwide to examine their perceptions of specific gun safety policy details.

A report released Wednesday from 97Percent, a bipartisan group of gun owners and non-gun owners that conducts research on gun safety policies, surveyed 1,078 gun owners nationwide to examine their perceptions of specific gun safety policy details. The study found broad support among gun owners for laws that aim to keep people at high risk of violence from gaining access to guns.

A new report by a bipartisan gun safety organization found that gun owners are overwhelmingly concerned about gun violence and support a number of specific policies to reduce shootings.

John Goodwin is not the stereotypical gun-safety advocate. He owns several shotguns that he uses to hunt birds. He’s also a former lobbyist for the National Rifle Association. But a relatively new organization is recruiting people like Goodwin to join the fight for gun safety. The group, 97percent, was created in 2019 as a bipartisan home for those who believe in Second Amendment protections and moderate gun restrictions. Goodwin is one of more than a dozen advisers who include a former president of the Brady advocacy group, ex-lobbyists for the National Rifle Association, and former Republican and Democratic members of Congress

A hearty welcome to the public sphere to the men and women of the new nonprofit organization 97Percent, a just-launched alliance of gun owners interested in responsible firearm laws that will save lives. In stark contrast to the National Rifle Association, which stubbornly labels every reasonable regulation an unconscionable assault on core Second Amendment freedoms, these folks are looking to amplify the voices of Americans who value the right to bear arms — but understand it must have sane limits.

“[97Percent] promotes pragmatic gun-policy reforms — with a twist: Their principal goal is to engage gun owners in the conversation. In polls and focus groups, they say they have found that gun owners are more amenable to reforms than most Americans believe. To make real progress on the issue, they argue, gun owners must be at the table."

Our profile in The Washington Post Magazine features our unique vision of identifying and expanding areas of consensus among gun owners and gun-reform proponents.

Our Executive Director, Mathew Littman, appeared on CNN with Paula Newton to discuss the Senate’s recent bipartisan gun safety legislation, red flag laws, and NRA members’ support for background checks

Our Executive Director, Mathew Littman, appeared on Spectrum News' "Communities in Crisis: Coast to Coast Gun Violence" to discuss background checks & red flag laws: their support among gun owners and how they can help reduce the 45K deaths from guns per year.

Board member & former NRA lobbyist Abra Belke poignantly recounts how negotiations fell apart on Capitol Hill following Newtown. She tells Reveal how now with 97Percent, she's focused on getting gun owners in the same room with lawmakers and on areas that should be apolitical.

“Gun owners believe in background checks, but they’re not advocating for them. We need gun owners to get to the table. That’s the missing piece here” - our Executive Director on BBC to discuss how to propel gun reform forward.

"When the laws are written, gun owners need to be at the table. Whatever we've been doing until now has not worked." Our Executive Director, Mathew Littman, joined CNN to talk about approaching solutions differently in the wake of yet another mass shooting.

Our Executive Director, Mathew Littman, joined CNN to talk about the Buffalo shooting & red flag laws: what they are, how they're not used enough because many don't know they exist & what our research revealed about gun owners' support for them.

The Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8), which passed in the House a year ago, would expand federal background checks to unlicensed dealers (such as on the internet marketplace and gun shows) and establish consistent regulations across the country. The fact that this common-sense law hasn't even gotten a vote in the Senate in a full year proves that it's time for a different approach. If we want to make progress toward solving at least one facet of America's enduring gun violence problem, it's time to bring new voices into the fold: gun owners themselves.