Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Support for gun control reached its highest level since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, according to a new poll released Monday. A new CNN/ORC poll says that 55 percent of Americans now support stricter gun laws in the wake of the Orlando massacre. More specifically, 92 percent of respondents said they were in favor of expanded background checks, 87 percent said guns should not get in the hands of felons or mentally unstable people, and 85 percent want to forbid people on the no-fly list from purchasing firearms. The latter number includes 90 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats.
The new numbers come as the Senate is set to vote Monday evening whether to approve new gun control measures in the aftermath of the attack on the gay club that killed 49 people. Among the proposed legislation are amendments that would close the so-called "gun show loophole," ban people on federal watchlists from purchasing guns, alert federal authorities if someone on the lists attempts to purchase a firearm, and define what it means to be mentally unstable before buying a gun.