Poll: Obama approval rises, as does public support for gun control

President Obama’s approval rating has seen a modest jump in favorability over the last month, as the public seems to have warmed to the idea of stricter gun laws, a new survey found.

According to a Time-CNN survey released Wednesday, 55 percent said they approve of the job the president is doing, against 43 who said they disapprove. Obama’s job approval was at 52 percent in the same poll conducted in late December, a marked increase from his first term, when he generally tracked in the 40 percent range.

The public’s support for tighter gun laws nearly matches Obama’s approval rating, with 55 percent saying they support stricter measures, against 44 who said they oppose, according to the poll.

Vice President Biden, who spearheaded the president’s gun task force initiative, enjoys the best rating of all at 59 percent approval, up from 54 in December.

Obama is locked in a heated battle with Congressional Republicans and some conservative groups, most notably the National Rifle Association (NRA), over the future scope of the Second Amendment after a string of deadly mass shootings.

Obama called Wednesday for Congress to approve new bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and unveiled a plan that includes legislation and 23 “executive actions” the White House said could be put into place immediately.


The NRA has vowed “the fight of the century” in opposing Obama’s proposed initiatives.

The Time-CNN poll of 814 adults was conducted Jan. 14-15 and has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

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