Most gun owners favor modest restrictions but deeply distrust government, poll finds

Shooting range owner John Deloca fires his pistol at his range in Queens, N.Y. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

The overwhelming majority of gun owners are in favor of universal background checks, of raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21 and so-called "red flag" laws to remove guns from potentially dangerous people, a new NPR/Ipsos survey finds.

But most of these gun owners also don't want to see an AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon ban, doubt new gun-control measures would do anything to stop mass shootings and Republican gun owners in particular think passing new gun control laws is a slippery slope toward taking all guns away.