Poll: Gun Owners Say Firearms Make America Free, Safe and Strong

On the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 61 percent of gun owners in the United States say firearms are part of what makes America free, a new CBS/YouGov poll reveals.

Here are the highlights from the poll released on Thursday:

• 59 percent of gun owners say firearms help make America "safe;" 55 percent say it makes America "strong" and 53 percent say gun ownership helps make America "great."
• 55 percent of non-gun owners say firearms make America "dangerous;" 38 percent say it makes America "scary" and 30 percent say firearms make America "free."
• 55 percent of those who own firearms and have kids are concerned about gun violence at their children's school; while 53 percent of non-gun owners concur.
• 46 percent of gun owners say they have firearms for "protection from crime: 17 percent for hunting and 12 percent for target or sport shooting.
• 33 percent of gun owners have one firearm; 23 percent have two; 24 percent have three to five; 10 percent have six to nine and 9 percent have 10 or more.
• 63 percent of all those polled say mass shootings can be prevented.
• 64 percent of those polled say political candidates must agree with them on gun policy to win their support, while 36 percent disagree.
• 55 percent of all those polled disapprove of how the National Rifle Association handles the debate over guns, while 45 percent approve.

The poll, conducted Dec. 5-11, surveyed 2,073 adults. The margin of error on the entire sample is 2.7 percent.

• Fired Sandy Hook Conspiracy Prof Quickly Shot Down by Jury
• Black Friday Gun Sales Boom