Poll: Six In Ten Voters Want Police Presence At Congressional Forums

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Following the shooting earlier this month in Arizona that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital after being shot in the head, voters overwhelmingly want their elected representatives to keep holding town hall style meetings, but to do so with a beefed up security detail, according to a new poll commissioned by The Hill.

In the poll, 91% of respondents said it was either “very important” or “somewhat important” for lawmakers to continue meeting with their constituents. In addition, 60% said that police should be present at those gatherings, versus just 28% who said that police did not need to be there.

Rep. Giffords had been hosting a “Congress on Your Corner” event outside a Safeway in Tucson when a gunman opened fire on the crowd. In the wake of the attack, lawmakers have proposed a number of measures aimed at tightening gun laws and ensuring the safety of elected representatives.

[TPM Slideshow: Tucson Heroes: Arizonans Shine In Face Of Tragedy]

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) has suggested a bill that would make it illegal to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a member of Congress, while others have proposed installing a Plexiglas shield between the House gallery and the floor, sealing members off from the general public. Meanwhile, Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced a bill yesterday to ban high capacity gun clips like the one Jared Lee Loughner allegedly used in his attack in Tucson.

Yet while support for stricter gun regulations spiked immediately after the shooting, there is no indication that President Obama will push for such legislation, or that it could even muster enough votes to pass.

Pulse Opinion Research conducted the poll for The Hill, performing automated interviews with 1,000 voters on January 13.

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