A nationally representative survey of 2000 American adults shows broad
support for prohibiting gun-possession on private land without the
landowner's explicit permission. Many states have laws which permit
concealed weapon carry unless explicitly prohibited by the landowner, but
our survey suggests statistically-significant majorities would prefer “no
carry” defaults with regard to homeowners, employers, and retailers. While
respondents who are Republican, male, or gun owners are more likely to
support “carry” defaults, we find that the majoritarian rejection of “carry”
defaults does not tend to vary by region or state. However, our survey does
find majority support for a default right to possess guns in rented property
and on an employer's parking lot. Respondents across all contexts also
report substantial ignorance or misinformation about the law. Landowners who
don't know or mistakenly believe that concealed carry is, by default,
prohibited on their land may be less able to protect themselves by
explicitly prohibiting such third-party possession.