Cuomo's approval rating takes a hit from New York's gun owners: Poll

The governor's swift action to strengthen the state's gun laws may have cost him some popularity points.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a favorability rating of 59%, which is 15% lower than his rating last month.

Poll researchers say that drop may have come from the Empire State's gun owners, 50% of whom said they disapprove of Cuomo's job performance, but they added it won't be any long-term political setback.

"It is possible that the gun law cost him some of that political capital, but a 2-1 job approval rating still makes him the envy of most governors," Mickey Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University, agreed and said the poll's details show partisanship may be the real reason behind Cuomo's approval dip.

She noted that Albany legislators agreed that the state needed to take a stand against gun violence, but not all agreed on the specifics.

"There are few minor pieces in some of the bills that GOP New Yorkers aren't comfortable with," she said.

The gun law, which Cuomo signed two weeks ago, not only bans assault rifles but also reduces the magazines from 10 rounds to seven and mandates background checks for buying ammunition.

Four gun lobby groups, including the NRA, are suing the state over the assault rifle ban but none could be reached for comment on the story.

Greer said she doesn't think this will deter the governor or other New York leaders for advocating for more gun control laws, especially since the public support for those measures hasn't dwindled since the Newtown, Conn massacre.

"States with Democratic governors will tighten gun laws as much as they can," she said.