WASHINGTON – Although public support for “gun control” as a general concept remains well below the levels found in the 1990s, several polls in recent days have shown Americans favor some new laws.

The polling indicates some areas where President Barack Obama’s promised push for new measures to combat gun-related violence could prevail. At the same time, the numbers also show deeply entrenched and stark partisan divides on the issue that almost certainly will complicate efforts to gain support from Republicans for new gun measures.

Controlling the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips gets consistent majority support in surveys by the Washington Post/ABC News and that were conducted after the Newton, Conn., massacre last week. The ability to fire large numbers of bullets without reloading has factored into several mass shootings.