Backing for stricter gun laws among registered voters has risen to 68 percent, compared to 25 percent who oppose such legislation, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday.
Support for better gun control was expected to rise following the shooting deaths of 17 people at a Florida high school earlier this month, but the percentage backing the move is even greater than it was after previous recent mass shootings.
For example, after the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting in which 49 people were murdered, support for stricter gun control measures was at 58 percent; following the Las Vegas mass shooting in which 58 were killed, 64 percent backed such legislation and after last November's Texas church shooting in which 26 were killed, 60 percent wanted tighter gun control laws.
Other results from the survey include:
- Support for stricter gun laws among Republicans also has risen significantly to 53 percent, compared to only 37 percent of GOP voters who backed such legislation after the Orlando shooting.
- Eighty-eight percent of all those surveyed support mandatory background checks on all gun sales, while 84 percent back preventing sales of weapons to those who have been convicted of violent misdemeanors.
- Eighty-one percent want the age limit raised on purchasers of all firearms to 21.
- Seventy-eight percent want to create a national database with information about each gun sale, as well as a three-day waiting period for all gun purchases, and 77 percent support a ban on bump stocks.
- Seventy percent want a ban on high-capacity magazines, 68 percent support banning assault-style weapons, and 60 percent back the idea of no firearms allowed in schools and college campuses.
- Voters are pessimistic that Congress will pass a gun-control bill, with just 10 percent saying there's an "excellent" chance it will happen in the next year, 21 percent saying there's a "good" possibility, 27 percent a "fair" chance and 32 percent a "poor" chance.
- Forty-six percent say it's more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns than to limit gun ownership (42 percent).
- More voters trust Republicans in Congress to handle gun policy at 41 percent than the 37 percent who trust Democrats.
- Fifty percent support President Donald Trump's proposal to equip teachers and school staff with concealed firearms, while 42 percent oppose such the idea.
The Politico/Morning Consult poll was conducted Feb. 22-26, surveying 1,992 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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