Desire for tougher gun laws fades

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WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- Support among Americans for stricter gun-control laws overall has dropped since the shootings at a Newtown, Conn., grade school in December, a CBS poll found.

Support for stricter gun laws was at 47 percent, down from a 57 percent just after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in which 20 children and six adults were killed, results of the poll released Tuesday indicated.

Thirty-nine percent said they wanted gun-control laws kept as they are, and 11 percent said they want them loosened, results said.

Broken down by political party, 52 percent of Republicans said they want the laws to remain as they are, while 66 percent of Democrats said they want stricter gun-control laws, CBS said.

At 55 percent, women were more likely than men, at 39 percent, to advocate for stricter laws, results indicated.

Results are based on nationwide phone surveys of 1,181 adults Wednesday through Sunday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.