Polls Find Continued Support for Stricter Gun Laws and a Path to Citizenship

As Congress prepares to debate gun safety laws and tries to hash out an immigration overhaul, recent polls find continued public support for stricter restrictions on firearms and a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found majority support for a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. An overwhelming majority (9 in 10) favors universal background checks, even though nearly half of voters think the government will use that information to confiscate legally owned guns.

Similarly, an inaugural Morning Joe/Marist poll found that nearly 9 in 10 Americans support background checks for gun owners, nearly 6 in 10 support legislation banning the sale of assault weapons, and 6 in 10 support stricter laws over all concerning the sale of firearms.

On immigration, an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday found nearly 6 in 10 Americans favor a process for illegal immigrants to become citizens, but with strong partisan division. While 73 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents agree with a path to citizenship, 60 percent of Republicans oppose it.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in mid-March and released last Thursday found similar results, with about 7 in 10 Americans saying that immigrants living illegally in the United States should be eligible for permanent residency (24 percent) or citizenship (43 percent).

Polls out this week also found that more voters trust President Obama over Republicans to handle the budget deficit; a split among registered voters on same-sex marriage increased support for the legalization of marijuana; and a wide partisan gap in views of global warming.

A McClatchy-Marist poll conducted last week finds Mr. Obama with an edge among registered voters on who they trust to make the right decisions about the budget deficit, and more voters blame congressional Republicans rather than the president for gridlock on the issue. But it’s not all good news for the president in the poll, with a majority disapproving of his handling of budget negotiations and of the economy.

The Quinnipiac poll found 50 percent of registered voters say they support same-sex marriage, while 41 percent oppose it. A majority says that the question of its legality should be decided on the basis of the United States Constitution, and not state by state.

A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday finds a majority of Americans â€" 52 percent â€" support legalizing marijuana use, up from 41 percent in a Pew poll in 2010. Support ranges from 64 percent of those under age 30 to just 33 percent among those 65 and older (still, that’s up from 22 percent among seniors in 2010). Six in 10 say the government should not enforce federal laws prohibiting marijuana use in states that allow it.

Pew also reported findings of partisan division over global warming. While nearly 7 in 10 Americans say there is solid evidence the earth is warming, just 4 in 10 say it is because of human actions. Nearly 6 in 10 Democrats say human activity is the cause. But just 1 in 5 Republicans say humans are the source, and half say there is no evidence of global warming.