Poll: 51 percent don't want gun ban

A slight majority of Americans do not want assault weapons banned in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting, though a clear majority said they support stricter gun laws in general, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll out Wednesday.

Specifically on an assault weapons ban, 51 percent of respondents were against the measure, while 44 percent said they support it, the poll said. That remains largely unchanged from an October 2011 poll that had 43 percent for and 51 percent against a ban.


Support for stricter gun control measures in general has jumped from 43 percent in October 2011 to 58 percent this month, according the poll.

President Barack Obama, who has said he supports a ban, recently assembled a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to suggest possible gun control proposals by the end of January.

The poll is based on 1,038 telephone interviews conducted between Dec. 19-22 and has a margin of error of plus/minus 4 percentage points.