NEW POLL: Majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws
1 / 2FILE - In this Thursday, July 26, 2012 file photo, an AR-15 style rifle is displayed at the Firing-Line indoor range and gun shop, in Aurora, Colo. A new poll shows a majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, and most believe schools and places of worship have become less safe over the last two decades, according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research both before and after last week’s mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand.
While a majority of Americans have consistently said they support stronger gun laws, proposals have stalled repeatedly in Congress in recent years, a marked contrast to New Zealand and some other countries, such as Australia, that have acted swiftly after a mass shooting.
Still, some gun restrictions get wide support across party lines. Wide shares of both Democrats and Republicans support a universal background check requirement, along with allowing courts to prevent some people from buying guns if they are considered dangerous to themselves or others, even if they have not committed crimes.
A divided Congress after last year's midterm elections only serves to make any new national gun laws unlikely for the foreseeable future. The poll showed a wide share of Americans say safety in churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship has worsened over the past two decades. Sixty-one percent say religious houses have grown less safe over the last two decades. Slightly more said so after the New Zealand shooting than before, 64 percent to 57 percent.
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