WASHINGTON: More than six in 10 Americans blame US President Donald Trump and Congress for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings, says a Washington Post/ABC News poll released on Tuesday.

The survey — conducted after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead — also finds that significantly more Americans believe mass shootings in the United States are due more to mental health issues than inadequate gun laws.

Sixty-two per cent of respondents blame President Trump for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings and 77 per cent say Congress is doing an inadequate job.

But 57 per cent also say that mass shootings in the United States reflect the country’s health system’s failure in identifying and treating people with mental health problems, while 28 percent blame “inadequate gun laws.”

Nine per cent blame both equally. Across party lines, 77 per cent say the Parkland shooting could have been prevented by more effective health screening treatment.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2018