Voters in three swing states preferred President Obama to Mitt Romney on gun control issues, and overwhelmingly support a number of gun control measures, says a new poll from an advocacy group reported by Politico. Forty-five percent of voters in Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado trusted Obama on gun issues, compared with 40 percent who trusted Romney. Obama had the largest advantage in Virginia, where he led Romney 48 percent to 39 percent. In Colorado and North Carolina, his edge was tighter: 44 percent to 40 percent and 42 percent to 41 percent.

The survey, funded by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, found the National Rifle Association had little impact on the presidential election. “Members of Congress will tell you privately that they agree we need stronger gun laws, but they run scared from the perceived power of the gun lobby,” said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “There is a growing pile of evidence the NRA has built a mythology around their ability to swing elections that has little basis in fact.” More than 40 percent of voters in all three states said gun control was not a factor in their vote. Voters expect some action in Obama’s second term: 64 percent of Coloradans, 74 percent of North Carolinians and 71 percent of Virginians said gun control should at least be a “somewhat important” priority for Obama. In all three states, at least 88 percent of voters favored requiring background checks for all gun buyers.