Support is mounting in the U.S. to strengthen gun control in the aftermath of a deadly Florida school shooting that left 17 dead.
A recent poll conducted for CNN found that support for more strict gun laws has spiked to the highest level since 1993. Seventy per cent of Americans said they would back the move in the poll released this Sunday.
READ MORE: Students protest at White House over gun violence
In December 1993, a CNN poll asking a similar question also saw 70 per cent support. That was when the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which made background checks for gun purchases a requirement, was signed.
Another CNN poll in October 2017, following a mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 dead, found that 52 per cent of respondents favoured stronger gun control.
Several other polls conducted in the wake of the Florida high school shooting saw similar results.
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A USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 61 per cent of Americans believe tighter gun laws can prevent mass shootings. Sixty-three per cent supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons, and 76 per cent said those with mental illnesses shouldn’t be allowed to buy guns.
Another poll by CBS News found that 65 per cent of Americans want more laws governing gun ownership — that’s an eight per cent increase from the news outlet’s December poll. It is also the highest support for stricter gun laws recorded in CBS News polls.
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But U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that there are solutions to preventing shootings that don’t involve strengthening gun control.
On Monday, the president reiterated that he believes arming teachers with guns will prevent school shootings. But he said the media reported the facts incorrectly.
“The headline was Trump wants all teachers to have guns. Trump wants teachers to have guns. I don’t want teachers to have guns,” the president said. “I want highly-trained people that have a natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball or putting.”
Trump has pointed to a number of ideas since the shooting, including improving background checks for gun purchases, arming educators, re-opening mental institutions and banning “bump-stock” devices like the one used during the shooting at a Las Vegas music festival.
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He has also suggested raising the minimum age for the purchase of assault-style weapons along with paying teachers bonuses for carrying concealed weapons as a way of warding off potential shooters.
Opposition to Donald Trump’s gun policy
However, polls also found that Trump’s plan to avoid future mass shootings isn’t one many Americans agree with.
The CNN poll reported that 54 per cent of U.S. citizens disapprove of Trump’s handling of gun policy following the school shooting, while one third approve and the remainder are unsure.
Trump’s plan to arm teachers has alarmed several politicians, such as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who said Trump needs to do “less tweeting, a little more listening” on gun control.
WATCH: ‘We failed our children,’ says Florida school shooting victim’s father
It has also sparked hurt and anger among the Parkland, Fla. community as they cope with the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Last week, the father of shooting victim Meadow Pollack made a plea for change while meeting with the president.
READ MORE: ‘Let’s never let this happen again please, please,’ Florida shooting survivor tells Trump
“It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it. And I’m pissed — because my daughter — I’m not going to see again,” Andrew Pollack said.
Thousands of students across the U.S. have held protests in the days following the shooting, calling on the Trump administration for change.
— With files from The Associated Press
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