Analysis
By Dalia Sussman
ABC News.com

April 5 — Americans are broadly dubious that gun control would substantially reduce gun violence, or that creating new gun laws is a better idea than simply enforcing existing ones — doubts that combine to make the issue something of a political misfire.
     Nearly one-third of Americans do favor stricter gun laws, a number that’s held roughly stable for the last decade. But people are not making the issue a top priority: Gun control ranks ninth of 15 issues they call “very important” in their presidential vote.
     The reason, an ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll suggests, is that many people don’t think such laws will deliver results. Just a quarter think stricter gun control laws would reduce gun violence “a lot,” down a tad from 30 percent last fall. And nearly half, 48 percent, don’t think such laws would have any effect on gun violence at all.

New vs. Old
Indeed, 53 percent say the best way to reduce gun violence is simply to enforce the laws already in place. Forty percent favor creating new, stricter laws, or both. There are some differences among groups. Republicans, gun owners and men heavily favor enforcing existing laws rather than passing new ones, while Democrats, non-gun owners and women are divided about evenly on the question.

Campaign 2000
The presidential candidates mirror this difference in the parties. Democrat Al Gore has called for a host of new laws to control gun violence, while Republican George W. Bush has urged stronger enforcement of existing laws.
     But Americans do not show much of a preference for either candidate on the issue. Asked whom they trust more to handle gun control, 55 percent say Bush, 31 percent Gore. (Gore has lost ground here on this issue.)

Methodology
This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone March 30-April 2 among a random national sample of 1,083 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.

                                                                                           
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