Poll Says Gun Violence, Mental Illness Connected

A Gallup poll released Friday found that a majority of Americans believe mental illness is greatly to blame for gun violence more than any other factor, and overall support for tougher gun control laws is below 50 percent.

The poll found 48 percent of those surveyed blamed mental illness -- the same number as a poll that was taken just after the 2011 mass shooting at then-Rep. Gabby Giffords' congressional event in Tucson, Ariz.

Forty percent of those surveyed blamed easy access to guns for the shootings, a number that's gone down 6 points since January 2011. Drug use was next on the list at 37 percent -- a drop of 5 points -- and violent movies, music and video games followed at 32 percent.

Eighty percent of Americans identify mental illness as the reason for gun violence when the number of people who blame each cause includes those who blame it a fair amount and a great amount.

The poll comes on the heels of a shooting at Washington, D.C.'s Navy Yard which killed 12 people. Support for stricter gun control has dropped significantly since a poll taken in the wake of a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December when 27 people were killed.

Gallup surveyed 1,023 adults from Sept. 17-18 for the poll, which has an error margin of +/- 4 percentage points.