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74% Of Texas Voters Oppose Handguns With No License Or Training, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 51% Say OK To Require Hospital Employees To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

One week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans to carry unlicensed handguns, voters say 74 - 24 percent that they oppose allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to carry handguns without a license or training, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of Texas registered voters released today.

Democrats oppose this 94 - 6 percent, independents oppose this 73 - 26 percent, and Republicans oppose this 58 - 36 percent.

"'No training, no license... no way,' say Texans in a direct rebuke to a new law that would allow residents over 21 few restrictions on ownership of firearms," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

By an overwhelming majority, voters in Texas say 90 - 8 percent that they support background checks for all gun buyers.

Voters are split about the level of difficulty of buying a gun in Texas, with 46 percent saying it is too easy and 46 percent saying it's about right. Only 4 percent say it's too difficult to buy a gun in Texas.

When it comes to assault weapons, a majority (52 - 44 percent) oppose a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons.

A majority of Texas voters say 56 - 42 percent that they do not think stricter gun laws would help to decrease the number of mass shootings. This compares to a 2019 survey when voters said 50 - 45 percent they did not think stricter gun laws would help decrease the number of mass shootings.

ABORTION

Voters say 49 - 42 percent that they oppose banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detectable, which is usually around 6 weeks of pregnancy, and 10 percent did not offer an opinion. Democrats oppose the ban 65 - 25 percent, independents oppose the ban 54 - 37 percent, and Republicans support the ban 63 - 32 percent.

A majority of voters in Texas say 58 - 35 percent that they agree with the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that established a woman's right to an abortion.

Asked to imagine if Roe v. Wade is overturned and the issue of abortion is left up to the states, voters shared whether they thought abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or illegal in all cases in Texas. A majority (55 percent) say it should be legal in either all cases (23 percent) or legal in most cases (32 percent). Nearly four in ten (39 percent) say abortions should be illegal in most cases (29 percent) or in all cases (10 percent). These findings are similar to other Quinnipiac University Texas polls since 2018.

"It's a deeply emotional, often discussed hypothetical. If abortion was outlawed and left up to the states, what would Texans want? This survey says the right to choose would stay on solid ground," added Malloy.

REPUBLICAN ELECTION BILL

As a Republican election bill in Texas has gained widespread attention, roughly 6 in 10 voters (62 percent) say they have heard or read a lot (33 percent) or some (29 percent) about the bill that would change the way Texans are allowed to vote. Nearly 4 in 10 voters (37 percent) say they have heard or read not too much (13 percent) or not much at all (24 percent) about the bill.

Asked whether or not voters approve or disapprove of the Republican election bill, 41 percent say they disapprove, 35 percent say they approve, and 24 percent did not offer an opinion.

Voters were asked whether stricter voting laws are necessary in Texas. Half of voters (50 percent) say it is not necessary to pass stricter voting laws because elections in Texas are already secure, and 45 percent say it is necessary to pass stricter voting laws to protect election integrity.

Voters are split on whether the Republican election bill would make it harder for people of color to vote, as 44 percent say it would, 42 percent say it would not, and 14 percent did not offer an opinion.

Asked about the 2020 presidential election, a majority of voters in Texas say 55 - 42 percent that they do not believe there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats say 89 - 11 percent and independents say 61 - 35 percent there was no widespread fraud. Republicans say 79 - 18 percent that they believe there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. These findings among party groups are similar to results in national polls posing the same question.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

The following section includes the views of adults in Texas, not just registered voters.

More than two-thirds of adults in Texas (68 percent) say they've either received or are planning to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Close to 3 in 10 adults (29 percent) say they do not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

There are sharp differences among political parties. Among Republicans, 45 percent say they do not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Among independents, that number is 28 percent. Among Democrats, it is 13 percent.

In the same week that workers at a Houston hospital either resigned or were fired for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Texans weighed in about COVID-19 vaccination mandates in hospitals. Just over half of Texans say 51 - 45 percent that they think hospitals should be allowed to require their employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

"Should the folks on the front lines be forced to get vaxed before putting on their scrubs or reporting to work at Texas hospitals? A slight majority of fellow Texans, the people they are committed to treating, say yes," said Malloy.

Two-thirds of Texans say 66 - 30 percent that businesses should not be allowed to require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination from their customers.

However, a majority say 57 - 40 percent that cruise lines should be allowed to require proof of a COVID- 19 vaccination from their passengers.

A slim majority say 51 - 45 percent that public schools should be allowed to require mask wearing.

"Caution is still the watchword when it comes to proof of vaccination on cruises and masking in schools, but the message to Texas merchants and businesses from fellow Texans is: stand down and welcome us back," added Malloy.

1,223 Texas adults were surveyed from June 15th - 21st, including 1,099 Texas registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points for adults and +/- 3.0 percentage points for registered voters.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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