Poll finds opposition to assault weapons jumps after weekend's mass killings

The back-to-back mass killings in El Paso and Dayton have produced profound changes in how Americans view regulation of assault weapons, a Microsoft News Poll has found.

A national poll conducted Aug. 6-7 found that a whopping 73% of Americans supported greater regulation of the military-style weapons. Compared to the same question asked Feb. 16, after the Parkland school massacre, the poll found that pro-regulation views jumped 30 percentage points, from 43%.

Even among gun-friendly Republicans, a majority -- 53% -- now say the laws should be more strict. That change is up 33 percentage points compared to post-Parkland surveys. Other demographic groups with 33-point swings toward more regulation included independents, women, people 18-29, and people 65-plus. The strongest support was among Democrats, with 92% in favor of more restrictive laws, up 26 points.


In some Western states support for regulation actually declined, such as Alaska (down 10 points), Idaho (down 6 points) and Wyoming (down 10 points). In both Texas and Ohio, where a total of 31 people were killed, support for greater regulation grew 4 percentage points.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/poll-finds-opposition-to-assault-weapons-jumps-after-weekends-mass-killings/ar-AAFukwi?li=BBnb7Kz