Poll: 67 percent of Americans support Obama's executive actions

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2016

A new CNN/ORC poll finds that 67 percent of Americans say they are in favor of President Obama's executive actions on guns issued this week.

The actions are designed to expand background checks for purchases made online or at gun shows and to make it easier for the FBI to complete background checks efficiently. Out of those who support the changes, 57 percent believe they would reduce the number of gun-related deaths in the U.S., while 75 percent of gun owners say they do not think the changes would make a difference. The poll also finds that 38 percent said the president has gone too far in changing gun laws, while 30 percent think he hasn't gone far enough, and 54 percent — 22 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of Republicans, and 61 percent of independents — said they oppose his use of executive actions rather than working with Congress.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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