Gun Restriction Polls Show Support For Obama's Proposals

Calling on Congress Wednesday to enact specific gun control laws , President Barack Obama cited widespread support for such changes, including a ban on assault weapons, a move to close the "loophole" that allows buyers at gun shows to bypass background checks, and a potential limitation on high-capacity ammunition clips.

After acknowledging the nation's tradition of gun ownership, Obama told reporters at the press conference , "I am also betting that the majority, the vast majority of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible few from buying a weapon of war."

While polling shows that while a wide majority of Americans believe they have the right to own a gun , many in fact may also be open to some restrictions.

Seven in 10 Americans believe the Second Amendment allows for individual gun ownership, according to a 2009 CNN/ORC poll . But of those respondents, 70 percent said they supported "some restrictions on gun ownership," while still maintaining the right to keep and bear arms. An AP-GfK survey conducted after the shootings in Aurora, Colo. , this August found more mixed results , with 49 percent of Americans saying gun laws infringe on the right to bear arms, and 43 percent saying that they did not.

Some specific proposals on gun control -- including the three mentioned by Obama -- are supported by a majority of Americans.

Polls taken in the aftermath of the Aurora and Newtown shootings show more than half of Americans would support a ban on semi-automatic weapons.

A ban on high-capacity clips is also favored, receiving slightly broader support.

Less polling has been conducted on restricting purchases at gun shows, but several surveys sponsored by an anti-gun group suggest that a change would be widely approved.

In a January 2011 poll sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns , 89 percent of people supported requiring buyers at gun shows to pass a criminal background check. Support for closing the gun show loophole has remained relatively steady -- a 2008 poll for the same group found that 87 percent would favor required background checks.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the number of people in a CNN/ORC survey who supported some restrictions on gun ownership