A majority of Americans want stronger gun laws, another poll finds. According to the new CBS News poll:
Sixty-five percent of Americans now say laws covering the sale of guns should be stricter - an eight-point increase from December. It is the highest number recorded in this poll for stricter gun sale laws. The rise has been primarily among Republicans and independents, with a large increase among Republicans from last December. Democrats remain in favor.
The poll also finds majority support for an assault weapons ban, though by a narrower margin than the recent Quinnipiac poll. Half of respondents in the CBS poll were opposed to arming teachers, with 44 percent in favor, which is … troubling, given the many problems the idea presents. Like costing kids' lives.
But the CBS poll offers one big reason Donald Trump and congressional Republicans won’t do anything about guns: their base won’t go with them on it.
Most Americans who are currently opposed to stricter gun sale laws say they'd be unpersuaded if President Trump decides to back stricter measures. Sixty-one percent say the president's stance would not make them more likely to back stricter laws if he took such a step.
A strong, even overwhelming, majority can be in favor of expanded background checks or waiting periods or an assault weapons ban, but as long as the hardcore Republican base is against it, they’re going to keep us waiting. And we're going to keep fighting.