64 percent of Pa. respondents to a new poll support more gun restrictions

This story originally appeared on PA Post.

About 64 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania support creating more laws that regulate gun ownership, according to the latest survey from Franklin & Marshall College.

The majority of respondents offered that opinion before the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, since the survey was conducted from July 29 through Aug. 4 by phone and online.

Franklin & Marshall pollsters regularly asks the same question about supporting more laws that regulate gun ownership. In the latest survey, here’s how the results broke down:

• 47 percent strongly favor;
• 17 percent somewhat favor;
• 10 percent somewhat oppose;
• 23 percent strongly oppose;
• and 3 percent don’t know.

Of the respondents, 34 percent of people said they were a gun owner.

The number of people who support more laws that regulate gun ownership is higher than in August 2013 when Franklin & Marshall asked the same question. Six years ago, 51 percent of people favored tougher gun laws.

The poll question doesn’t specifically ask people whether they want more gun laws at the state or federal level.

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which supports increased gun restrictions, gives Pennsylvania a “C+” rating.

The state does not:

• require a background check for all rifle and shotgun sales — a regular gun owner could sell one to a friend or neighbor without one, for instance;
• allow courts to temporarily remove a person’s gun rights through extreme risk protection orders;
• prohibit military-style rifles or large-capacity ammunition magazines.

The survey is based on responses from 627 registered voters in Pennsylvania, and the margin of error is 6 percentage points.