Study finds more people want to carry guns after Orlando shooting

A new study has shown that more people want to legally own a firearm in the wake of the Orlando shootings, which left 49 dead and 53 injured. The study, conducted by Washington Post-ABC News, found that 54 percent of responders would support more people legally owning defense weapons, with 42 percent against the notion.

The survey used a random sample of 1,001 adults. White, Republican men who live in a rural or suburban area and do not have a college degree were the group that most valued self-defense, the study showed. Over two-thirds of those surveyed, however, identify as Democrat or Independent.

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After the Orlando shootings, which occurred at the hands of Omar Mateen who used an AR-15 semi-automatic gun, the debate over gun control has been addressed again. A vast majority, 86 percent, of surveyors fear "lone wolf" attacks, but the results were less clear over whether assault riffles themselves should be banned: 51 percent were for a ban.

Despite being on the FBI's watch list, Mateen was able to obtain his gun legally. Most surveyors, 72 percent, encouraged surveillance of people with possible associations to terrorism. Even more, 86 percent, want to ban those on the watch list from being able to purchase a gun.

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GOP candidate Donald Trump has called for a temporary ban on Muslims; the notion was first brought up after the Paris terrorist attacks in November. Forty-three percent of participants supported said ban. Half of the participants, however, said they trusted Clinton to handle terrorism more than Trump.