A majority of Americans believe that politicians are exploiting the Sandy Hook tragedy for political gain, according to a new Reason/Rupe poll.

The poll found that 52 percent of Americans believe that elected officials are exploiting the tragedy for political gain, including 71 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of Independents.

Only 41 percent feel that elected officials are acting responsibly and 7 percent refused to answer the question.

The poll also showed that 51 percent of Americans believed that they should be allowed to own assault weapons. Only 44 percent said that “assault weapons” should be prohibited.