In the wake of the Florida school shooting that left 17 dead, a new poll shows that two-thirds of Americans support new gun control legislation — a record high.
The same poll found almost total support for universal background checks: 97% of respondents favor them, including 97% of gun owners.
The survey by Quinnipiac began two days after the shooting in Parkland, Florida. It found that 66 percent of respondents support stricter gun control, the highest number since Quinnipiac began asking the question in 2012. Thirty-one percent were opposed. It’s a 19-point swing from December 2015, when 47 percent were in favor and 50 percent opposed.
Among the poll’s other findings: 67 percent support a nationwide ban on assault weapons (with 29 percent opposed) and 83 percent support a mandatory waiting period for gun purchases (with 14 percent opposed).
Overall, 67% of Americans say it’s too easy to buy a gun in the U.S. and 59% say the country would be less safe if more people carried guns. Fifty-one percent of Americans say the National Rifle Association is pursuing policies that are bad for the United States, while 38 percent say the policies are good.
And 75% of Americans think Congress should be doing more on gun safety.
“If you think Americans are largely unmoved by the mass shootings, you should think again. Support for stricter gun laws is up 19 points in little more than two years,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “In the last two months, some of the biggest surges in support for tightening gun laws comes from demographic groups you may not expect, independent voters, men, and whites with no college degree.”
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,249 people nationwide on landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
