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Poll: Record number of Americans support stricter gun laws

By Andrew V. Pestano
A friend of Christopher Sanfelciz, 24, holds his photo next to memorial cross in remembrance of the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla. In the wake of the shooting, a new poll shows record support among Americans for stricter gun laws. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI
A friend of Christopher Sanfelciz, 24, holds his photo next to memorial cross in remembrance of the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla. In the wake of the shooting, a new poll shows record support among Americans for stricter gun laws. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- A recent poll found that American support for stricter gun laws is at its highest ever following the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 54 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws in the United States, with 42 percent opposing the restrictions. Gun-owning households oppose stricter gun laws by 56 percent, while 39 percent of gun-owning homes support restrictions.

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Women are 63 percent in favor of tougher gun laws, with 33 percent opposed. Men oppose the gun laws by 51 percent, compared to 45 percent of men who favor of the measures.

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The same poll found that 86 percent of Americans believe people on the government's terrorist watch list should not be allowed to purchased guns, compared to 12 percent who oppose the ban. About 93 percent of Americans support requiring background checks on everyone who wants to purchase a gun, compared to 6 percent who oppose.

In the United States, an average of 90 people are shot dead daily and 33,000 are killed each year. In the latest mass shooting, 49 people were killed at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12.

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Efforts to tighten gun laws have failed in Congress, where last week House Democrats staged a sit-in to protest the lack of action.

The survey of 1,610 registered voters has a margin of error of 2.4 percent and was conducted between June 21 and 27 via landlines and cellphones.

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