In an Associated Press-NORC poll conducted before and after the New Zealand massacre on March 15, a wide majority of Americans support making U.S. gun laws stricter: by a margin of 67% supporting stricter laws to 22% saying leave the laws as they are, and 10% saying the laws should be less strict. The poll also showed some 60% supporting a ban on AR-15 style semiautomatic assault weapons, with 80% of Dems favoring a ban, versus 40% of Rethuglicans.
There was some broad bipartisan agreement on a couple of issues: universal background checks and giving courts power to prevent people from buying guns if they are a danger to themselves or others. The support for stricter gun laws has remained steady at 67% from last year at this time, one month after the murder of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL; prior to that, support for stricter laws was 61%.
In contrast to the U.S., New Zealand acted swiftly to ban assault-style weapons and extended magazines after the mosque shootings by an anti-immigration white supremacist loon. In connection with the ban, the government is initiating a gun buy-back program to compensate the current owners of banned weapons.
(photo: Squirrel huntin', 'Merican style)
