A strong majority of Americans support banning the kind of semi-automatic rifle that was used in the February 14 mass shooting that left 17 people dead.
Sixty-one percent of Americans said that the AR-15, which gun-control advocates consider an assault weapon, should be banned from purchase, compared to 39 percent who said that adults who pass background checks should be allowed to buy it, according to the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris survey.
AR-15 is categorized in some American states as an “assault weapon” for having a detachable high-capacity magazine and other military-style features, and because the rifle is designed to kill a large number of people quickly.
The suspect in the Parkland, Florida, shooting, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, purchased an AR-15 about a year ago, and used it in the massacre.
AR-15 rifles had been used in some of the deadliest shootings in the past few years in the United States, including a concert in October…