Gun control poll shows mixed results

WASHINGTON -- A majority of Americans support stricter gun laws in the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, but most oppose banning assault weapons, a move that is backed by President Obama as a step to curb gun violence, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say they favor stricter gun laws, up from 43% in October 2011. And the American public, which favored enforcing existing gun laws over passing new ones by a 60%-35% in 2011, now is split on the issue, with 46% favoring enforcing current laws and 47% favoring passing new ones.

In terms of specific laws, however, the ban on assault weapons, which are a favorite target of gun control advocates — including Obama -- hasn't gained any significant support, according to the poll. Forty-four percent support such a move and 51% are against it. In October 2011, 43% supported an assault weapons ban and 51% said they were against it.

National Rifle Association President David Keene said he wasn't surprised by the uptick of respondents who say they support stricter gun laws generally and noted that when it comes to specific legislation -- such as the proposed assault weapons ban -- Americans are more circumspect.

"I'm surprised it hasn't gone up more considering the unremitting attacks on firearms over the last week," Keene said.

Obama, who has convened a task force led by Vice President Biden charged with coming up with a set of proposals to help curb the scourge of gun violence, said last week that "an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily."

Congress instituted a ban on assault weapons in 1994, but the law lapsed in 2004. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said that she will introduce legislation to reinstate the ban when Congress reconvenes next year, but National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre has called it a "phony piece of legislation."

Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said he isn't ready to write off a push for renewing an assault weapons ban.

"That's an example of where the gun lobby's narrative has taken root and needs to be overcome," Gross said. "If the poll is accurate, it shows we have a little work to do on that one."

The NRA, the nation's most powerful gun rights organization, has called for the federal government to put armed guards on duty in every school in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting and has flatly rejected any calls for tougher gun laws.

Other laws backed by Obama and gun control advocates score much more favorably with the public: A near-unanimous 92% support background checks for buyers at gun shows, and 62% favor bans on high-capacity magazines, which can carry as many as 30 rounds of ammunition.

Keene notes that only small portion of guns are bought at gun shows, and most of those sales are from licensed dealers who are required to do background checks. Surveys of inmates by the Justice Department found that about 1% were carrying guns bought at gun shows at the time of their crime.

"It would make sense to do something if it was a problem," Keene said. "When you get into the question of the so-called gun loophole and Congress asks, 'What is this going to solve?' Then it's a whole different kind of deal."

Police say Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother on Dec. 14 before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School where he killed 26 schoolchildren and teachers and then shot himself.

Proponents of outlawing high-capacity gun magazines note that as many as a half-dozen kids escaped from the school when Lanza paused either to reload or because his gun jammed, and they suggest the death toll could have fewer than 26 if the gunman's clip held fewer rounds.

Opponents of such a ban say they don't think it would have any effect.

"Changing a magazine, I can do that pretty quick," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. "The best way to interrupt a shooter is to keep them out of the school, and if they get in the school have somebody that can interrupt them through armed force."

The USA TODAY/Gallup poll found 54% have a favorable opinion of the NRA, down six points from 2005, but generally in line with a series of polls done from 1993-2000.