Americans Support Stricter Gun Laws - Just Not When Obama Proposes Them
The poll found that 53 percent view Obama's overall plan favorably after he announced it last week at the White House. By comparison, 41 percent view it unfavorably. There is a deep partisan divide in the results, but self-identified Independents view it favorably by a 51-44 split.
The ABC/WaPo poll closely mirrors the results of a Gallup poll released on Wednesday, which found broad support for nine key measures in Obama's plan. Significantly, though, Gallup did not attach the proposals to Obama's name — but they did ask questions using language from the White House's plan.
Like Gallup, the ABC/WaPo survey reveals that more people favor stricter gun legislation when Obama's name is not attached to the ideas. In a poll taken earlier this month, ABC/WaPo found at least 55 percent support for six different gun measures — universal background checks, background checks at gun shows, a federal gun database, a ban on high-capacity magazines, a ban on assault weapons, and armed school guards.
According to Gallup, at least 54 percent of respondents favored each of nine of Obama's key proposals — when his name was not included. But only 53 percent of respondents said they would want their representative to vote for the laws proposed by Obama, compared with 41 percent who did not.