Poll: 69 Percent of Americans Want Stricter Gun Control

A new opinion poll shows that 69 percent of Americans support stricter gun control measures in the weeks after a school shooting in Florida left 17 people dead.

The poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said the support for gun control is up from 61 percent in October 2016 and up from 55 percent since the poll first asked the question in October 2013.

It said 90 percent of Democrats and 50 percent of Republicans now favor stricter gun control measures. The poll also found that 54 percent of gun owners support tougher gun control laws.

The poll asked respondents about specific gun control measures and found that more than 8 in 10 Americans favor a federal law preventing mentally ill people from purchasing guns.

Nearly 8 in 10 supported allowing courts to prevent people from owning guns if those people were considered a danger to themselves or others, even if they had not committed a crime, according to the survey.

The poll also found nearly 7 in 10 favor a nationwide ban on bump stocks, a device that allows semi-automatic guns to function like automatic guns.

Americans were divided about whether elected officials would implement tougher gun control regulations, with 51 percent saying they would enact them while 42 percent said they expect no changes.

The AP-NORC poll questioned 1,122 adults online or by phone from March 14-19.

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