Stronger Background Checks For Guns Supported By 86 Percent Of U.S.: Poll

Eighty-six percent of Americans support strengthening background checks for guns in some way, according to an ORC/CNN poll released Wednesday.

Requiring background checks at gun shows was the most popular proposal, with 83 percent of those polled favoring the idea. Seventy percent want checks when gun owners who aren't dealers sell their weapons, and 54 percent support checks when guns are sold or gifted between family members.

The current laws, which require gun stores and businesses to run background checks, were favored by 89 percent of Americans.

Most polls since the shooting in Newtown, Conn., have shown upwards of 80 percent support for some form of enhanced background checks. A HuffPost/YouGov poll found that nearly three quarters of the public supported universal background checks.

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a gun control bill including the checks.

In the CNN /ORC poll, just over half of gun owners said they'd undergone background checks to purchase any of their guns. Ninety-three percent described it as a positive or neutral experience.

The poll also found some concern over creating a federal list of gun owners. Americans overwhelmingly said gun owners who sell guns directly to others should be required to keep a record of their sales. But a majority were opposed to the idea of a national gun registry, with two thirds saying the government could use the information to confiscate guns.

The CNN/ORC poll surveyed 1,012 adults by phone between April 5 and April 7.