Poll: ‘Overwhelming’ support for tighter gun laws

More than two in three Connecticut voters surveyed as part of a new Quinnipiac University poll support a stronger assault weapons ban, a ban on high-capacity magazines and stronger permit requirements.

A whopping 93 percent of those surveyed – including 89 percent of those surveyed who live in households where guns are present – said they would support universal background checks.

“In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, there is overwhelming support among Connecticut voters for strengthening the state’s gun laws,” said Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. “It is remarkable how bipartisan the support is for some of the most talked-about gun-control measures.”

Among the 1,000 registered voters who participated in the survey, 68 percent said they would support an expanded ban on the sale of assault weapons, 68 percent said they would back a ban on ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds, 85 percent said they would be in favor of a permit requirement to purchase and carry all guns.

More than three-quarters of those who responded said they would favor stricter gun storage requirements, and half of the respondents said they would support mandatory liability insurance for gun owners.

Notably, more than half of those surveyed said they don’t think Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature would “be able to work together to reduce gun violence in Connecticut,” and 41 percent approve of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s handling of the state’s gun policy while 38 percent disapprove.

When asked about the impact of tighter gun control laws, 65 percent responded that stricter controls would make “no difference” and 25 percent said stricter controls would hurt the state’s economy.