Americans remain divided on the issue of gun control, according to the results of a CBS News poll released on Wednesday, although support for stricter laws has fallen since the mass shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school a year ago.
The poll found that 49 percent of Americans think gun control laws should be stricter, while 36 percent said the laws should kept as they are and 12 percent want laws that are less strict.
While the results are nearly identical to a survey conducted in May, support for stricter gun control laws has fallen from 57 percent shortly after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
In the latest poll, 70 percent of Democrats said they support stricter gun control laws compared to just 25 percent of Republicans. A plurality of Independents supports stricter laws.
CBS News noted that 53 percent of gun owners think gun laws should be kept as they are now, while 26 percent favor stricter laws and 19 percent want laws that are less strict.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December sparked a renewed push for new federal gun control laws, but the effort stalled in the Senate.
The survey of 1,015 adults was conducted December 4th through 8th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll was conducted by Social Science Research Solutions on behalf of CBS News.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com