Poll: After Gun Bill Failure, Public Wants Senate To Move On

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is followed by reporters as he walks from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, after a meeting on gun control.
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An effort to pass new gun laws went up in flames last month in the U.S. Senate, and, according to a poll done for a pair of Libertarian groups, so did the public’s desire for the Senate to take up the issue.

A majority, 62 percent, of Americans said that they want senators to move on to other issues, according to the latest Reason-Rupe poll released on Friday. Only 33 percent said they want the Senate to take up gun legislation again. The poll was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

“As you may know, the U.S. Senate recently voted down gun control legislation,” the question said. “Do you think the Senate should debate and vote on gun control legislation again or should the Senate move on to other issues?”

It may be the latest sign that the push for new gun laws is fading five months after the massacre in Newtown, Conn. A survey released earlier this week by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found that support for expanded background checks on gun buyers remained strong, but had still dipped significantly.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), one of the authors of a background checks measure that was voted down by 45 senators, expressed optimism last month that a gun bill could still ultimately pass.

“I truly believe that if we have time to sell the bill and if people will read the bill” it can pass, Manchin said.

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