Do liberals in the US want to eliminate guns
Executive summary
There is no evidence in the provided reporting that "liberals in the US want to eliminate guns" wholesale; instead, mainstream liberal positions and organizations in the sources emphasize restricting or regulating firearms to reduce deaths and support specific policies such as universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage and other gun‑violence‑prevention measures [1] [2] [3]. At the same time, reporting shows an increase in gun ownership among self‑identified liberals and groups formed to train liberal gun owners for self‑defense, illustrating split behaviors and attitudes within the liberal community [4] [5] [6].
1. What “liberal” policy goals look like: regulation, not abolition
Major U.S. gun‑violence‑prevention organizations and policy briefs represented here advocate for laws and programs to reduce firearm deaths—policies like background checks, restrictions for people under domestic violence protective orders, safe storage requirements, and funding for community violence intervention—not for a blanket national gun ban or confiscation [1] [2] [3]. Advocacy groups such as Brady and Everytown frame their mission as changing laws and the gun industry to save lives rather than eliminating firearms entirely [7] [2]. Reuters’ overview likewise summarizes the broad pattern: many liberals press for restrictions in response to high rates of gun deaths [8].
2. Evidence of broad public support for specific restrictions across political lines
Empirical polling cited by Johns Hopkins’ National Survey of Gun Policy finds wide support for many gun‑safety measures across political affiliations and among gun owners, including sustained majorities for policies targeting those at high risk (for example, restrictions related to domestic violence protective orders) [1]. This suggests that policy preferences among liberals often align with popular, targeted interventions rather than a binary “ban guns” demand [1].
3. A growing cohort of liberal gun owners complicates the narrative
Multiple reports document that liberals, people of color, and LGBTQ Americans have increasingly purchased guns in recent years, and liberal gun clubs have expanded membership significantly; leaders and members emphasize training and self‑defense rather than plans to use firearms offensively [4] [5] [6]. The Liberal Gun Club and related trainers report membership surges—an indicator that cultural and safety calculations among self‑identified liberals are diverse and evolving [4] [5].
4. Political framing and claims of “elimination” are not supported by these sources
None of the provided sources claim that mainstream liberal leaders or major liberal organizations are campaigning to “eliminate guns” entirely; rather, they document organized efforts aimed at stricter regulation and public‑health approaches to reduce firearm harm [7] [2] [3]. If a claim asserts a deliberate, coordinated liberal effort to abolish private gun ownership nationwide, that claim is not found in the current reporting set: available sources do not mention an abolitionist platform as mainstream liberal policy (not found in current reporting).
5. Political and strategic incentives that shape rhetoric
Advocacy groups like Everytown and Brady frame gun policy as life‑saving public health work, and they push electoral and legislative strategies to enact laws; those institutional goals create an incentive to promote regulatory solutions and mobilize voters around them [7] [2]. Conversely, the rise in liberal gun ownership is often framed by trainers and members as a defensive reaction to perceived threats after the 2024 election, which complicates zero‑sum narratives about who supports or opposes guns [4] [5].
6. Where disagreements and ambiguity remain
Sources show agreement that liberals more commonly back restrictions than conservatives [8], but they diverge on how to describe public attitudes and behaviors: some reporting emphasizes regulatory aims and policy wins in states [3], while on‑the‑ground reporting highlights that many self‑identified liberals are choosing to buy and train with guns for self‑defense [4] [6]. These two threads—policy advocacy for restrictions and rising liberal gun ownership—are both present and not mutually exclusive in the available reporting [4] [1] [3].
Conclusion: The evidence in the provided sources describes a liberal policy preference for stricter regulation and public‑health approaches to reduce gun deaths, not a unified aim to eliminate guns, while also documenting substantial variation within the liberal community, including increased liberal gun ownership and organized training groups [1] [2] [4].