DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS – By a 54-35 percent margin, Ohio voters say it's a "bad idea" to give state government the power to override local gun control laws, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.

A provision barring cities from passing local firearms regulations is part of a bill approved by the legislature and vetoed by Gov. Bob Taft. The provision would kill 80 ordinances in more than 20 cities, including Dayton.

The House last week overwhelmingly overrode Taft's veto and the Senate is considering a veto override vote this week.

The poll also finds that Ohio voters support Taft's proposed Ohio Core plan to implement tougher high school graduation requirement, 60-26 percent. Voters say in the poll, however, by a margin of 68-21 percent that it would be better for the newly-elected state legislature next year to decide on Ohio Core than for the lame duck legislature to decide on it this month.

Voters also oppose 65-26 percent paying higher property taxes to support the Ohio Core plan. There is no higher tax provision in the bill but opponents have said some school districts might have trouble paying for the new requirements.

Also, voters in the poll give Taft an approval rating of 16 percent, up slightly from the 11 percent approval rating Taft got in a Quinnipiac University poll in October. Voters give the legislature a 25 percent approval rating in the new poll.

"Gov. Bob Taft is the least popular governor in America," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release, "so it is ironic that as he leaves office he has strong public support on two critical questions."

Quinnipiac University, based in Connecticut, surveyed 1,027 Ohio voters from Dec. 4-10 for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or bhershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.