Support for more stringent gun laws has reached its highest level in 25 years, according to a new poll, and the majority of the public now believes the government and society can take effective action to prevent shootings like the Feb. 14 incident at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
The new poll from CNN, conducted by SSRS and released Sunday, found that 70 percent of adults are in favor of stricter gun control laws, compared to 27 percent who are opposed.
Support for more stringent gun laws hasn’t reached that level since December 1993, when CNN conducted a public poll after the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into law.
Among those who favor harsher gun laws, 52 percent are strongly in favor, while 17 percent moderately favor them.
Even in gun-owning households, 57 percent back stricter gun laws.
When it comes to preventing future shootings, 64 percent believe government and society can take action, a figure that marks a new high for CNN polls. In October 2017, following the shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, 47 percent said government and society can act to prevent future mass shootings.
Since the shooting in Parkland, which left 17 dead and several injured, Congress and President Trump have discussed potential measures to strengthen gun laws.
Several proposals have support from a majority of the public, according to the CNN poll. Fifty-seven percent believe there should be a ban on the sale of semi-automatic rifles, such as the AR-15, and 87 percent are in favor of measures to prevent some people, like convicted felons or those with mental health issues, from owning firearms.
Sixty-three percent back a ban on the sale and possession of high capacity or extended ammunition magazines, and 71 percent support a proposal to prohibit people under 21 from purchasing any type of firearm.
Trump and some Republicans have come out in support of raising the minimum purchasing age, and 61 percent of Republicans polled by CNN are in favor of that proposal. Among Democrats, 86 percent back raising the minimum purchasing age.
The CNN poll of 1,016 adults was conducted by SSRS from Feb. 20 to Feb. 23. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
