Gallup asked Americans who said they believed the Senate should not have passed the background check measure to explain why in their own words.

The results reflect a mixed pattern of explanations for opposition. Some of the reasons are clearly based on a fundamental, negative reaction to the concept of the gun control measure per se, including 40% who say the measure would have violated the Second Amendment, and 9% who say the measure would have violated Americans’ privacy.

Other responses suggest that opposition to the Senate measure stems in part from negative reaction to either the need for the legislation, or concerns about its efficacy. These explanations include the 23% who say there is a need to enforce laws already in place and 20% who say the legislation wouldn’t work because criminals would find guns anyway. Another 19% say the measure wouldn’t work in general; 11% say people, not guns, are the problem (an indirect statement about the measure’s effectiveness); and 6% say the government already has too much power.