Background checks, assault weapons ban gain support: US poll

Support for background checks for gun purchases and a ban on sales of assault weapons have reached new highs among US voters following a series of mass shootings, according to a poll published Wednesday. Ninety-five percent of the 1,577 people surveyed in the Quinnipiac University poll said they support requiring background checks for all gun buyers. This was the highest level of support for background checks since Quinnipiac first asked the question in February 2013 following the December 2012 massacre of 20 schoolchildren in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.