Support for stricter gun control laws hits highest level in a decade, poll says

Poll comes as Senators in Washington DC continue to discuss tightening firearms laws

Support for tougher gun control laws in the United States is at its highest level in a decade, according to a new poll.

The study found 59 per cent of Americans think it is more important to control gun violence, compared to 35 per cent who want to protect gun rights.

That was the widest margin of support since 2012, NPR reported.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National poll was taken in the days after the recent massacres in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.

The figures predictably show a strong partisan divide, with 92 per cent of Democrats and 54 per cent of independents wanting to see stronger gun laws.

Some 70 per cent of Republicans said protecting gun rights was more important.

Nearly three-quarters of the 1,063 adults surveyed said they were more likely to vote in the November midterms due to the recent mass shootings.

And a majority of gun owners (56 per cent) said legislation to prevent gun violence was more important than protecting the right to purchase and own weapons.

A memorial to one of the victims of the Uvalde school massacre (Associated Press)

On Wednesday night, the House passed a sweeping gun reform package that would raise the age limit for buying semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, ban high-capacity magazines, tighten regulation of “ghost guns” and bump stocks, and introduce firearm storage safety requirements.

The bill has no chance of passing the Senate, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers discussing areas where they could break a years-long deadlock.

The NPR-Marist poll also asked respondents for their views on arming teachers, a favourite talking point among some gun advocate groups.

Overall, only 38 per cent said they would vote for a candidate who campaigned on getting teachers to carry weapons in the classroom.

Presiden Joe Biden was pressed about his response to the recent spate of mass shootings during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday night.

He stopped short of agreeing to sign an executive order, and blamed the NRA and Republicans for a lack of meaningful progress on the issue.