Poll: Majority Now Backs Major Gun Restrictions

A new poll by CNN and ORC International suggests that most Americans favor major restrictions or a total ban on guns. Barely. In the poll, 52% support such action, up from just under the 50% mark over recent years. Other findings:

• 46% say government and society can act to prevent future gun violence, up 13 points from January 2011, after the Gabby Giffords shooting. President Obama promises to do just that.
• 53% say attacks will still happen no matter what action is taken, but that's down from 66% in January 2011.
• 43% say the Newtown shootings make them more likely to support gun restrictions, up 15 points from after the Giffords shooting.
• About 60% favor a ban on semi-automatic assault rifles.

"All of those numbers are much higher than they were in a CNN poll conducted in January 2011, indicating that the tragedy in Connecticut may be affecting more Americans more intensely than other recent attacks," says CNN's polling director. (More gun laws stories.)