Nationwide support for more stringent gun laws has waned since the immediate aftermath of the December massacre in Newtown, Conn., according to a CBS News poll released Tuesday evening.
While the poll still found a plurality of 47 percent of American adults in favor of gun control laws that are “more strict,” that amounts to a significant erosion in support over the last few months. Only a month ago, CBS found 53 percent in favor of stricter gun laws. In January, 54 percent said they were in favor. And in December, immediately following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, 57 percent said that gun control laws should be more strict.
The number of respondents who believe gun control laws should be less strict has been basically static, hovering around 10 percent in each of the polls, but the portion of the country in favor of keeping the status quo has seen a steady uptick. In December, 30 percent said gun control laws should be kept as they are; Tuesday’s poll showed that 39 percent of Americans now feel that way.
There are echoes of the poll in recent remarks from Newtown’s First Selectman Patricia Llodra, the equivalent of town mayor, who suggested that President Barack Obama should have sought new gun legislation immediately following the mass shooting.
