Gun control advocate Chelsea Parsons said on Thursday that the American public is ahead of U.S. politicians and lawmakers on the issue.

“I think that the American public is actually further ahead on this issue than where politicians are, and frankly where policymakers have been," Parsons, who is the vice president of gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress, told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on "Rising."

“We need to do a better job of meeting voters where they are, and really try to break out of this wanting to appeal to the middle, wanting to be somewhat moderate on this issue, and kind of living in this commonsense gun reform, and background checks, and protect the Second Amendment, and really be more specific about what we’re talking about it," she continued.

Parsons was discussing a new poll, seen on "Rising" and conducted by the left-leaning Center for American Progress and Guns Down, that found a majority Americans preferred candidates for public office who campaign on strict gun control measures.

Guns Down is an organization aimed at reducing the number of guns in circulation in the U.S.

The survey follows a slew of shootings in the U.S., including the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla. earlier this year, which have drawn more attention to the issue of gun control in the U.S.

— Julia Manchester