You Won’t Guess the US Senators Doing the Most to Control Guns

America is split over their stance on gun culture. According to a recent Pew Survey, about half of Americans firmly believe that owning a gun is beneficial to their safety, while the other half takes the opposite stance – that gun ownership contributes to a reduction in safety. Gun violence is ranked among the top five issues – inflation, drug addiction, health care costs, and partisan gridlock – for about 60% of American adults. (Here is a look at the states with the least restrictive gun laws.)

Awareness of the issues posed by gun violence is split along party lines to a much higher degree than for any of the other top issues. The same Pew survey found that 81% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters consider gun violence a serious problem, compared to only 38% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Few other issues embody partisanship more clearly than gun control. The list of U.S. senators with a grade of F or F- from the GOA includes every Democrat in the chamber and only one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. (Here is a look at the most and least popular Democratic senators.)

24/7 Wall St. identified the strongest gun control advocates in the U.S. Senate using data from the nonprofit gun rights lobbying group, Gun Owners of America. Of the 100 sitting U.S. Senators, GOA assigned 96 with a letter grade, from A+ to F-, for their positions on gun legislation. The highest grades were given to the most pro-gun lawmakers and the lowest to the most staunch supporters of gun control. GOA gun policy grades are based only on the most recent available data. Some prominent lawmakers have shifted their positions in recent years, which may not be reflected on the GOA site.

Why This Matters

With an estimated 1.4 million guns sold monthly between January and May 2023, gun culture is enmeshed with the economy of the United States. Gun policy is the single most important issue for many voters, but when it comes to assessing their representative’s job performance, the bulk of Americans take multiple factors into account. Despite potentially alienating themselves from pro-gun voters, many senators on this list remain relatively popular with their constituency. 24/7 wants to help you better understand how the legislative action of the 100 American senators has wide-reaching effects on the economy and personal wealth.

Scroll below to find out which US senators are doing the most to control guns:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) of Wisconsin

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 44% approve, 42% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Michael Bennet (D) of Colorado

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) of Washington

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Chris Coons (D) of Delaware

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 53% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D) of Illinois

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 51% approve, 34% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. John Fetterman (D) of Pennsylvania

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 43% approve, 40% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Margaret Hassan (D) of New Hampshire

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 40% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) of New Mexico

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 43% approve, 34% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Mark Kelly (D) of Arizona

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 53% approve, 38% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Ben Lujan (D) of New Mexico

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 44% approve, 37% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Edward Markey (D) of Massachusetts

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 55% approve, 26% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) of Nevada

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 40% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) of Oregon

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) of Alaska

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 48% approve, 46% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Patty Murray (D) of Washington

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 38% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) of Georgia

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 46% approve, 37% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Alex Padilla (D) of California

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 44% approve, 27% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Gary Peters (D) of Michigan

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 43% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Brian Schatz (D) of Hawaii

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 65% approve, 24% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) of Arizona

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 42% approve, 44% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Jon Tester (D) of Montana

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 58% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) of Maryland

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 51% approve, 23% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) of Georgia

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 49% approve, 42% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Peter Welch (D) of Vermont

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F (reliably supports gun control legislation)
Popularity (2023): 62% approve, 25% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) of Connecticut

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 54% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Cory Booker (D) of New Jersey

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 37% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) of Ohio

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 44% approve, 35% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D) of Maryland

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 52% approve, 23% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Thomas Carper (D) of Delaware

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 54% approve, 29% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Richard Durbin (D) of Illinois

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 35% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of California

Senator Dianne Feinstein has e... by David Lee

Senator Dianne Feinstein has e... (CC BY 2.0) by David Lee

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 45% approve, 38% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) of New York

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 32% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) of Colorado

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 48% approve, 35% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) of Hawaii

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 60% approve, 30% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Timothy Kaine (D) of Virginia

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 47% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) of Minnesota

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 53% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 38% approve, 55% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 40% approve, 39% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D) of Connecticut

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 55% approve, 32% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. John Reed (D) of Rhode Island

151007-N-FS436-053 by U.S. Naval War College

151007-N-FS436-053 (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Naval War College

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 54% approve, 27% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) of Nevada

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 42% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Bernard Sanders (I) of Vermont

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 64% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 53% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) of New Hampshire

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 51% approve, 39% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Tina Smith (D) of Minnesota

Gun Owners of America grade (2020): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 45% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2027

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) of Michigan

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 46% approve, 36% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) of Massachusetts

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 52% approve, 38% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) of Rhode Island

Gun Owners of America grade (2018): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 51% approve, 33% disapprove
End of term of service: 2025

Sen. Ron Wyden (D) of Oregon

Gun Owners of America grade (2022): F- (carries or cosponsors gun-control legislation and reliably supports gun-control bills)
Popularity (2023): 50% approve, 34% disapprove
End of term of service: 2029

Methodology

To identify the U.S. senators with the strongest pro-gun control positions, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data compiled by Gun Owners of America, a nonprofit gun rights lobbying group. GOA uses legislative voting records to assign a letter grade to sitting U.S. senators on their gun control positions. In the case where senators do not have an extensive voting record, they are graded based on their responses to GOA survey questions. Grades range from A+, reserved for the most staunch gun-rights senators, to F-, assigned to senators with the strongest gun-control agendas.

Only the 50 senators with a grade of F or F- appear on this list. The 50 senators on this list are split into two groups, starting with those who received a grade of F, and followed by those with an F-, and are listed alphabetically. Each senator’s grade is for the most recent year of available data, between 2018 and 2022.

Of all 100 sitting U.S. senators, four have not received a grade from GOA: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) of Alaska, Sen. Cindy Clyde-Smith (R) of Mississippi, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) of Nebraska, and Sen. J.D. Vance (R) of Ohio.

We also reviewed supplementary data on each senator’s approval and disapproval rating from Morning Consult, a public opinion data research company. Approval and disapproval ratings are based on survey data from each senator’s state, collected in the first quarter of 2023.

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