Guns for sale at The Gun Vault in South Jordan Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (Deseret News file)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The ongoing conversation surrounding gun control policy has seemingly split politicians in Washington. And a recent Utah Policy Analytics poll shows it’s proving to be a divisive issue in Utah as well.
Overall, Utah tends to lean conservative and the numbers reflect that.
Of those surveyed, 42-percent said they trusted Republicans in Congress to handle gun policy, compared to only 36-percent better trusting Democrats and 22-percent being unsure or having no opinion.
When polling men only the divide increases, with 47-percent trusting Republicans versus only a third of men choosing Democrats. Those who reported they remain unsure as to who to trust totaled 20-percent.
A big change in the numbers occurs when considering only female input.
In that scenario, 40-percent of women reported trusting Democrats in Congress more. Only 36-percent better trust Republicans and 24-percent remain unsure.
The issue of guns in America has become a highly partisan one, and often an individual’s overall political beliefs will mirror their stance on gun control.
For example, 90-percent of those polled identifying as “strong” liberals trusted Democrats more on gun control, while only 1-percent better trusted Republicans and 9-percent were unsure.
That trend is almost identical on the other side of the aisle, as 91-percent of “strong” conservatives reported they trust Republicans more on the issue, versus only 1-percent better trusting Democrats and 9-percent remaining unsure.