Poll Americans Support Obama Gun Control Initiatives
The majority of Americans support President Obama's recently announced initiatives on gun control, according to a survey released Thursday, but they are skeptical of the effectiveness the changes will have. A CNN/ORC poll shows that 67 of Americans are in favor a series of executive actions Obama proposed earlier this week, while 32 are opposed. Obama will expand background checks in an effort to reduce gun violence, while making the process more efficient. The survey coincides with a town hall CNN hosted on Thursday night, where the president engaged with Americans on either side of the issue. Support for the president crossed party lines, with Democrats 85, independents 65 and Republicans 51 in favor of the measures. Some 57 of gun owners are also in favor. While support is strong, skepticism about the effectiveness of the president's executive actions is highnearly 6 in 10 said the measures will not effectively curb gun-related deaths. This is especially true among gun owners, 75 of which say they didn't think the changes would be effective. Read More Obama Defends Gun Actions at Lively Town Hall, Obama's approval rating on his handling of gun policy went up following the announcement on Tuesday. He is up 8 points since a late-December CNN/ORC poll, with 43 approval on the issue. The survey was conducted January 5-6 with a random sample of 1,027 adults. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 3 percent.