The National Shooting Sports Foundation rejected claims by Brady and Everytown for Gun Safety that Democratic midterm wins created a mandate for more gun control. Brady stated on November 4 that voters want public-safety leaders and new congressional majorities should act, while president Kris Brown called the results a mandate for gun-violence policies.

NSSF cited an October Pew Research Center survey in which 84 percent of registered voters rated the economy very important, gun policy ranked tenth of 16 issues at 45 percent down from 57 percent in 2022, and 40 percent of Democratic congressional supporters called gun control very important versus 88 percent for the economy. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found cost of living and preserving democracy the top issues, with 46 percent favoring gun-ownership rights and 49 percent stricter laws. Democrats took the Senate and House, but NSSF said polling shows a mixed picture rather than a gun-control mandate and that wins do not prove why Americans voted or which restrictions they want.