52% Of Americans Believe We Need More Gun Control, Study Finds

The Newtown, Connecticut shootings have rocked America to its core, and, following the massacre of 20 innocent children and six adults, a growing number of people believe gun control should be a priority of government officials.

A new poll released by CNN/ORC International finds that 52 percent of Americans believe major restrictions on owning guns should be enacted. Others believe an outright ban on gun ownership should be handed down to ordinary citizens. The poll also revealed that six in ten respondents favor a full ban on semi-automatic assault rifles.

The survey took place just days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

CNN also reveals that 53 percent of respondents still believe that, regardless of intervention, attacks will continue to occur. That response is down by 13 percent since January 2011.

Nearly half of all respondents said they feel fearful following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, and eight in ten said they were shocked and angry.

The polls numbers are not all that surprising. In recent years, polls have consistently shown just under 50 percent of Americans supporting an outright ban on guns.

This particular study did not break down gun restriction supporters and gun ban supports, which may explain the slightly higher 52 percent response point. Regardless, the same survey conducted by CNN following the Aurora, Colorado ended with five percent less gun control supporters. The five percent rise is still within the previous polls sampling error.

A majority of Americans have supported gun control laws for years. For example, support for tougher background checks, no guns for people with mental health problems, and no guns for convicted criminals have been heavily supported.

The CNN/ORC International survey included 620 adults nationwide from December 17-18.

The current ORC poll produced similar results to a YouGov/Huffington Post poll. In that survey, 50 percent of Americans said they supported tougher gun laws that are more restrictive than current gun laws. Forty-three percent of respondents in the HuffPost survey said gun laws should remain as they are, and 14 percent of respondents said gun control laws should be less strict. In terms of semi-automatic assault rifles, 51 percent of respondents were in favor of a ban. Fifty-four percent of respondents also said they would support banning magazine clips that hold more than 10 rounds.

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