Gallup: Majority supports Obama’s gun-control proposals

A majority of people favor President Obama’s efforts to impose stricter gun laws, according to a Gallup survey released late Friday.

According to the poll, 53 percent said they would want their congressman to vote in favor of Obama’s proposals, against 41 who said they would want their representative to vote against the proposals.

On Wednesday, Obama and Biden, flanked by children they said wrote to the White House about gun safety in the wake of the Newtown massacre, unveiled 23 executive actions the president signed into law. Those measures include efforts to improve existing background checks and gun safety, and even encourage doctors to ask patients about guns in their homes.

Obama also pressed lawmakers to quickly implement universal background checks on all firearm purchasers and restore the federal ban on military-style assault weapons and a limit on the size of ammunition magazines.

The issue, according to Gallup, remains highly partisan – 82 percent of Democrats favor the new laws, while 15 percent oppose, compared to only 22 percent of Republicans who are in favor, against 72 who oppose.

Obama has sought to rally public support in past battles over taxes and spending, and is leveraging his high approval rating, and recent opinion polls that show public support for tighter gun restrictions, in an effort to pressure Congress to take action.

The Gallup survey of 1,021 adults was conducted on Jan. 17 and has a 4 percentage point margin of error.

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