Americans now say guns protect us more than put safety at risk

A new survey released by the Pew Research Center shows Americans are changing their views on gun ownership and gun rights. Specifically, for the first time in two decades, there is more support for gun rights than gun control. Additionally, a majority of Americans say guns protect people from becoming victims of a crime.

Of the 1,507 adults surveyed, 52 percent say it is important to protect the rights of Americans to own a gun, a 7-percentage point increase from 2012. Forty-six percent of those surveyed said the priority should be on gun control, which is down from 51 percent in the last survey.

Nearly six-in-10 Americans (57 percent) now say guns protect people from becoming a victim of a crime, which is up from 48 percent who had that opinion in Dec. 2012, just days after the deadly Newtown school shooting.