About half of National Rifle Association (NRA) members polled say they have a negative view of the high school student survivors of last month's mass shooting in Florida, according to a new poll.

The Monmouth University poll found that 50 percent of NRA members polled disapprove of how the grieving students have handled themselves in the media. Sixty-five percent say the students from Parkland, Fla., are not effective advocates, and 61 percent believe they are being manipulated by outside groups rather than expressing their own beliefs.

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The views of the NRA members are tougher on the students than those of self-identified gun owners. Forty-eight percent of gun owners say the students are effective advocates, and 53 percent approve of how they are handling themselves in the media.

The students are seen favorably when the survey includes both gun owners and people who do not own guns.

Sixty-two percent overall say the students are effective advocates for gun control, with just 29 percent saying they are not effective. Fifty-seven percent say the students are having more impact than past victims of mass shootings.

Several students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have amassed large social media followings and appeared repeatedly on television since the shooting deaths of 17 people at their school on Valentine's Day.

CNN hosted a town hall discussion that featured a number of the students. GOP Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioSunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election Florida senators pushing to keep Daylight Savings Time during pandemic Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll MORE (Fla.) and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch were challenged at the town hall by students and booed by the audience for their stances on gun rights during the live broadcast.

Students from the high school are now planning to march on Washington, D.C., later this month in the "March for Our Lives," a protest demanding Congress to implement restrictions on firearms to prevent future shootings.

The Monmouth poll surveyed 803 adults across the U.S. from March 2-5, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.