In Florida, Gun Background Checks Supported By Nine In 10: Poll

Ninety-one percent of Florida voters, including 88 percent of the state's gun owners, favor universal background checks on gun buyers, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

Bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines were favored by smaller majorities, as was a proposal to place armed police officers in the state's schools. Floridians were nearly twice as likely to say that assault weapons make America more dangerous rather than safer, but they also believed that gun ownership does more to protect people than to put them at risk.

A slim 51 percent majority favored stricter gun control overall -- a reversal from last year, when 51 percent opposed tougher controls.

The results of the survey are in line with other state and nationwide polls, many of which show deep division on gun control but overwhelming support for mandatory background checks. Several polls have shown that more than 90 percent of Americans support such checks.

The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters by phone between March 13 and March 18.