A new poll released today by Gallup shows that Americans favor increased security and proactive mental health treatment over gun control. The national poll of a little over 1,000 adults was conducted in the wake of the tragic murders at a Connecticuit school last Friday. As the introduction to the poll says:
Americans are most likely to say that an increased police presence at schools, increased government spending on mental health screening and treatment, and decreased depiction of gun violence in entertainment venues would be effective in preventing mass shootings at schools. Americans rate the potential effectiveness of a ban on assault and semi-automatic guns as fourth on a list of six actions Gallup asked about.
An interesting fact somewhat buried is that when you combine the number of people who said a solution would be ‘very effective’ and ‘somewhat effective’, more people favored “arming at least one school offic” officia” over “banning the sale of semi-automatic weapons” by 64 to 63. Although the result is within the margin of error, it indicates that neither media nor political pressure on the gun control issue have made it overwhelmingly popular as a solution with citizens.
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