A recent national poll found that support for gun control is on the decline and more than one-in-four voters with a firearm in the household recently picked one up. 

The results of a Rasmussen phone poll of likely voters published last week found that 27 percent of those with guns in the house purchased one within the past six months. Likewise, the survey found that support for more restrictions on firearms has fallen from 64 percent just a year ago to 52 percent today. 

The survey complements separate polling recently commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation among likely voters in 18 key battleground states that found 57 percent of respondents believed a ban on semi-automatic sporting rifles such as AR-15s would not be effective on reducing crime. Likewise, a survey by the NSSF of firearms retailers found as much as 40 percent of recent purchases have been to first-time buyers.

In all, the trade group believes that more than 2.5 million new gun owners have been added to in a very short period of time.  

With so many Americans taking time to exercise their newly embraced right to keep and bear arms, NSSF is encouraging all gun owners to use its #GUNVOTE online resource to register to vote and receive election updates and candidate information in order to be more educated about the Second Amendment positions of political candidates.