Poll: Voters think preventing gun violence is more important than protecting gun rights

A majority of voters in a new poll thinks it is more important to prevent gun violence than to protect gun rights.
A Fox News poll finds 53 percent of respondents think it is more important to protect citizens from gun violence, compared to 40 percent who think it is more important to protect the rights of people to own guns.
Vast majorities of voters also support specific gun control measures, the poll finds.
Ninety-one percent support requiring criminal background checks for those who want to buy a gun and 84 percent support mandatory mental health checks.
Nearly three-quarters of voters also support raising the minimum age to buy all guns to 21 and 69 percent support putting armed guards in schools. {mosads}
A majority, 57 percent of voters, opposes a proposal to arm teachers, according to the poll.
The poll also finds that just 19 percent of voters think it is “extremely” or “very” likely that Congress will pass gun legislation, even though 56 percent think it is extremely or very important for Congress to do so.
The poll was conducted from March 18-21 among 1,014 registered voters. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
The poll’s release comes a day after people took part in marches across the country to protest gun violence and call for change.
Students who survived the shooting last month at a high school in Parkland, Fla., spearheaded the effort.
Several Parkland students spoke Saturday during the “March for Our Lives” in Washington, D.C., where they gave emotional speeches demanding change and honoring those who died from gun violence.
Students also warned lawmakers that if they don’t take action, they will be voted out of office.
Several lawmakers also took part in the marches as they push for new gun legislation.
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