Most Americans are frustrated by the country's lax gun laws and have little confidence US lawmakers will take action, according to a new poll released ahead of the one-year anniversary of the country’s deadliest high school shooting. RNA - The Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday reflects widespread disappointment with state and federal lawmakers after decades of mass shootings in the United States.
The massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018 killed 17 students and staff.
Gun control laws have been passed in 20 states since the Parkland shooting, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, but critics say buyers can purchase firearms from online sellers without any background checks.
Weapons like the AR-15 rifle used in Parkland were designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible, Kyleanne Hunter, vice president of programs at the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence, stated.
According to the new poll, 69 percent of Americans, including 85 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans, want strong or moderate restrictions placed on firearms.
To stop gun violence, 55 percent said they wanted policies that make it tougher to own guns, while 10 percent said making firearm ownership easier would be better.
The survey shows that support for gun restrictions has risen since the poll started asking about gun control in 2012.
Gun control advocates say lawmakers are too dependent on campaign contributions from gun rights groups to care about public opinion.
There are more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually in the United States, most of them in the form of suicide.
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