CBS NEWS POLL For release: Monday, December 17, 2012 6:30 pm ET Support for Stricter Gun Laws

Rises in Newtown Shooting Aftermath

December 14-16, 2012

Support for stricter gun control laws is now the highest its been in a decade, and has surged 18 points since the spring of this year. The poll was conducted in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. 57% of Americans now say gun control laws should be made more strict, up from 39% in April. Support for stricter laws is now higher than in a CBS News Poll conducted after the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011. 47% backed stricter gun laws then, but that figure dropped off in polling conducted about a year after the incident. While more than half want tighter gun laws, three in 10 think laws covering guns should be kept as they are. Only 9% think gun laws should be less strict. Gun Control Laws Should be Now 4/2012 1/2011 11/2003 57% 39% 47% 51% 9 13 12 10 30 41 36 35 10/2002 56% 11 30

More strict Less strict Kept as they are

Still, fewer than half of Americans (42%) think stricter gun laws would have helped prevent the violence at Sandy Hook Elementary.36% felt that way after the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords, but after the incident at Virginia Tech in 2007, more than half of Americans said tighter gun laws would have done a lot or a little to prevent that shooting. How Much Would Stricter Gun Laws Have Done to Prevent the? 1/2011 4/2007 Newtown Giffords Virginia Shooting Shooting Tech shooting A lot 26% 18% 32% A little 16 18 21 No effect 50 58 43 Views on gun control and its possible impact on the Newtown shooting differ by political party. Most Democrats support stricter gun control laws and think they would have done at least something to prevent the violence at the elementary school in Newton. On the other hand, fewer Republicans favor stricter gun control measures, and most think tighter laws would have done nothing to prevent what happened in Newton. Views on Gun Control by Political Party Reps Dems Inds Gun Control Laws Should be More strict 38% 78% 48% Less strict 14 5 11 Kept as is 41 14 37

Reps Dems Inds Would Stricter Gun Laws Have Prevented Newton Shooting? A lot or a little No effect 24% 71 57% 31 38% 56

There are also regional differences on the issue of gun control. Support for tougher measures is highest in the Northeast and West. Those in the Midwest and South are less likely to back stricter gun control laws. Total 57% 9 30 Gun Control Laws Should be Northeast Midwest South 66% 54% 45% 10 10 10 20 32 39 West 68% 7 20

More strict Less strict Kept as is

In the days following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, just over a third of Americans feel schools in their community are extremely or very safe, but that is higher than the percentage who say that about U.S. schools overall. How Safe are Schools? In the In your U.S. Community 22% 36% 50 44 28 17

Extremely/very Somewhat Not too/not at all

Opinions on the safety of schools in ones own community have changed little over the years. How Safe Are Schools in Your Community? Now 4/2000 4/1999 Extremely/very 36% 37% 32% Somewhat 44 46 48 Not too/not at all 17 15 15 Parents views on gun control laws and school safety are similar to those of Americans overall. News of the school shooting in Connecticut has captured the attention of the American public. More than nine in 10 have heard or read at least something about it, including 69% who have heard a lot about the shooting. Heard About School Shooting in Newtown, CT? A lot 69% Some 26 Not much/nothing 4 ______________________________________________________________________
This poll was conducted by telephone from December 14-16, 2012 among 620 adults nationwide. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

CBS NEWS POLL Support for Stricter Gun Laws Rises December 14-16, 2012 q26 In general, do you think gun control laws should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % 57 38 78 48 9 14 5 11 30 41 14 37 4 7 4 3

More strict Less strict Kept as they are now DK/NA

Apr12b % 39 13 41 6

q63 How much have you heard or read about the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut,--a lot, some, not much, or nothing at all? A lot Some Not much Nothing at all 69 26 3 1 69 29 2 0 77 19 3 1 62 32 4 2

q64 Do you think that stricter gun control laws would have done a lot to prevent the violence that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, done a little, or had no effect on preventing the violence in the school in Newtown, Connecticut? A lot A little Had no effect It depends(Vol.) DK/NA 26 16 50 3 5 11 13 71 2 2 36 21 31 4 8 25 13 56 2 4

q65 In general, do you feel the schools in the United States are extremely safe, very safe, somewhat safe, not too safe or not at all safe? Extremely safe Very safe Somewhat safe Not too safe Not at all safe DK/NA 5 17 50 18 10 0 4 20 52 13 10 0 6 19 43 20 11 1 5 12 55 20 8 0

q66 In general, do you feel the schools in your community are extremely safe, very safe, somewhat safe, not too safe or not at all safe? Extremely safe Very safe Somewhat safe Not too safe Not at all safe DK/NA 8 28 44 10 7 2 4 31 51 5 7 3 10 26 40 14 8 2 9 29 43 10 7 1 Apr99d 8 29 46 10 5 3

Total Respondents Total Republicans Total Democrats Total Independents

UNWEIGHTED 620 159 230 231

WEIGHTED 152 (24%) 233 (36%) 247 (40%)