Gun advocates stage open carry demonstration

Chuck LaRosa, legislative coordinator of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, participates in a rally on Public Square in Cleveland last summer opposing gun legislation proposed by Mayor Frank Jackson. A Pew poll shows more Americans support protecting gun rights than increased gun control.

(Lynn Ischay, Plain Dealer file photo)

More Americans support gun rights than increase gun control, according to a new poll, a result that hasn't been seen in more than two decades.

The poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows 52 percent of Americans say it is more important to protect the right to own guns, while 46 percent say gun control is more important.

Researchers note it is a substantial shift that comes just two years after 20 students and six teachers were killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In January 2013, support for gun rights stood at 45 percent while 51 percent supported more gun control.

The poll was conducted from Dec. 3-7 among 1,507 adults. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 percent. For African-Americans, the error margin is plus or minus 10 points.

Among its other findings: