Month: February 2018

• Majority polled says Trump, Congress not doing enough to stop mass shootings

The poll was conducted last week and over the weekend in the wake of a shooting at a Florida high school, where a former student opened fire and killed 17 people.

Of those polled, 62 percent said Trump is not doing enough to prevent mass shootings in the U.S. and 77 percent said the same of Congress.

Fifty percent said they would support a nationwide ban on assault weapons, which are often the firearm used in mass shootings, while 46 percent said they would oppose such a ban. Fifty-eight percent of respondents to the poll said they believed stricter gun control laws could have prevented last weeks shooting, compared to 37 percent who said tighter laws would not have prevented it.

Fifty-one percent said the shooting could not have been prevented if teachers were allowed to carry guns, while 42 percent said such rules could have stopped it. More effective mental health screening and treatment could have stopped the shootings, 77 percent of respondents said.

Last weeks high school shooting, among the deadliest in U.S. history, has prompted renewed calls for tougher gun control laws. On Monday, the White House indicated that Trump supports strengthening background checks for gun purchases. The president also singled out the gunmans reported mental health issues as the underlying problem behind the attack.

Respondents to the Washington Post/ABC News poll seemed to agree with the president on that point: 57 percent said mass shootings in the U.S. are a reflection of problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems while just 28 percent said such shootings are the product of inadequate gun control laws.

The Washington Post/ABC News poll was conducted from Feb. 15-18, reaching 808 adults nationwide on cell phones and landlines. The polls margin of error was plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.

• Most see inaction on mass shootings; mental health screening is a priority (POLL) – ABC News