Poll: Majority of American voters favor stricter gun laws

The number of American voters who support universal background checks for gun purchases has hit a new high, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Ninety-five percent of voters support universal background checks for gun purchases, including 94 percent of those who live in gun-owning households, according to the latest Quinnipiac University survey.

That marks the highest level of support since Quinnipiac first asked the question in February 2013 in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead.

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A majority of Americans continue to say it’s too easy to buy a gun in the U.S., but most are skeptical that stricter gun laws would help prevent mass shootings, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

About 60 percent of voters support stricter gun laws overall, and 65 percent back a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons — another record high in the poll.

A majority of voters also expressed support for limiting ammunition sales, banning the sale of guns to people convicted of a violent crime and banning the sale of accessories allowing guns to work more like an automatic weapon.

The polling took place after more than two dozen people were killed while attending a church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas, earlier this month.

Lawmakers have called for strengthening the background check system after it was determined the gunman, Devin Kelley, was able to purchase firearms despite being convicted of assault while serving in the Air Force.

In early October, nearly 60 people died in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire from his hotel room on a nearby country music festival.

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting, lawmakers discussed banning bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic rifle to imitate an automatic weapon.

At least five people also died Tuesday after a man went on a shooting rampage near an elementary school in Northern California.

The Quinnipiac University survey of 1,577 voters was conducted Nov. 7-13 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.