Support for Tighter Gun Laws Ticks Up

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Associated Press-GfK poll has found Americans are slightly more likely than they were two years ago to say gun laws should be tighter.

The survey found 58 percent of Americans back stricter gun laws — up from 52 percent in 2013. Still, Americans remain divided along party lines on the issue. Eight in 10 Democrats favor stricter gun laws, while 6 in 10 Republicans want them left as they are or loosened.

The new poll was taken two weeks after the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon thrust the discussion of gun control into the news. Polls regularly show a rise in support for tighter gun laws in the wake of such shootings, although that support often levels off as the news fades from the headlines.