According to a new ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll, Americans are broadly dubious that gun control would substantially reduce gun violence, or that creating new gun laws is a better idea than simply enforcing existing ones.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans do favor stricter gun laws, a number that's held roughly stable for the last decade. But gun control ranks ninth of 15 issues they call "very important" in their presidential vote.

• Moreover, 53 percent say the best way to reduce gun violence is simply to enforce the laws already in place (see figure).

• Meanwhile, 40 percent favor creating new, stricter laws, or both.

Just a quarter of Americans think stricter gun control laws would reduce gun violence "a lot," down from 30 percent last fall. And 48 percent don't think such laws would have any effect on gun violence at all.

Source: ABC News, "Gun Control Support Muffled," April 5, 2000.

For text http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics
/dailynews/poll000405.html