Americans Now View Gun Violence as a Permanent Part of Life

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A heavily armed New York city police officer with the Strategic Response Group stands guard at the armed forces recruiting center in New York's Times Square, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. Police in New York say they've deployed extra units to crowded areas of the city "out of an abundance of caution" in the wake of the attacks in Paris, France. A New York Police Department statement released Friday stressed police have "no indication that the attack has any nexus to New York City." (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A heavily armed New York City police officer with the Strategic Response Group stands guard at the armed-forces recruiting center in Times Square in New York City on Nov. 14, 2015Mary Altaffer—AP
By Sarah Begley

A majority of Americans now think that mass shootings and other outbreaks of gun violence are no longer passing incidents, but “a permanent part of American life.”

The revelation comes from a new poll that shows Americans are now more concerned about national security and terrorism than they are about the economic growth and job security. A whopping 71% said that gun violence is now a regular occurrence in American life.

The poll of 1,000 adults, from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, found that those who believe national security should be a top priority has grown from 39% eight months ago to 60% as of early December. Those who think the economy should be a top priority have shrunk from 29% to 23% in that time.

Despite the belief that gun violence has become more prevalent, more Americans (52%) are concerned that this will lead to excessive new gun-control restrictions than those who fear that the federal government will not do enough to restrict access to firearms (44%).

[WSJ]

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