Gun Survey

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This survey is anonymous. It asks a mix of different kinds of questions — fact, opinion, feeling. On questions of fact, please guess when you don’t know the answer. If you really don’t feel comfortable answering at all, you can skip a question.

My zip code

My home zip code is:(Required)

My feelings on guns

I am afraid of gun violence when I walk in my home neighborhood.
I am afraid of gun violence in my community places — schools, work, place of worship, shopping centers, etc.
I feel that gun laws in Massachusetts need to be much stronger.
I feel that gun laws in Massachusetts are too stringent.
I favor stiffer criminal penalties for unlawful possession of guns.
In my view, it should a crime punishable by imprisonment for any person to carry a gun into a school, college, or university, whether they are licensed or unlicensed.
In my view, gun ownership should not require a license.

My understanding about guns

"Ghost guns" are made with carbon reinforced plastic and cannot be detected by most metal detectors.
A semi-automatic firearm fires a stream of bullets like a machine gun.
An "assault rifle" is defined as any rifle that (a) can fire a stream of bullets and (b) is equipped with a pistol grip.

My understanding about gun violence

Nationwide, rifles (as distinct from hand guns) account for fewer homicides than hands, fists, and feet.
Gun suicides are more common than gun homicides in Massachusetts.
Most gun homicides in Massachusetts occur on the streets of a few urban neighborhoods.
Guns account for the majority of homicides of females by intimate partners in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has the lowest overall gun death rate in the country.

My understanding of the gun laws in Massachusetts

If a person has a Massachusetts license to carry firearms, they can carry a firearm concealed.
No license is required to carry a firearm in Massachusetts provided the firearm is properly holstered and not concealed.
People who have licenses to carry must report any change of address to the state.
Massachusetts gun owners are required by law to store their guns locked either in a secure container or with a tamper-resistant trigger lock.
Transfers of firearms in Massachusetts must be reported to the state.
In Massachusetts, the gift of a gun between family members need not be reported.
A family member can petition a court to have an unstable person's guns taken away in Massachusetts.
Assault rifles are banned in Massachusetts.
A person who has a license to carry can purchase a firearm without an additional background check in Massachusetts.
A person who does not have a license to carry can purchase a firearm without a background check if they provide proof of Massachusetts residency and complete a form certifying that the firearm is only for use for self-defense within their home.
By law, people with a record of involuntary commitments to mental institutions are, in general, disqualified from receiving a licensed to carry firearms in Massachusetts.