NRA Dares Congress To Attempt Assault Weapons Ban

Some congressional Democrats say they agree with gun group on unlikeliness of ban

The National Rifle Association says Congress doesn’t have the support to pass a bill reinstating an expired ban on assault weapons, defined by some as “weapons on war” commonly used by U.S. military servicemen and women. NRA President David Keene cited some congressional Democrats’ stated reluctance to support a ban (and possible confiscation) of the weapons, as evidence of an unlikely restoral of the ban. “What we put the brakes on is anything that simply takes away a person's Second Amendment right for no good reason," Keene told CNN’s “State of the Union” over the weekend. "The likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress," he continued, adding that Congress was also unlikely to put limits on high-capacity bullet magazines. Despite the opposition, largely influenced by the gun lobbying group’s clout on Capitol Hill, Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are expected to introduce legislation to revive the assault weapons ban this week. That legislation comes as Vice President Joe Biden plans to deliver gun control proposals on Tuesday, meeting a deadline set by President Barack Obama in the wake of the school shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn. New Gallup poll results released Monday show more Americans are dissatisfied with the current gun laws, with 38 percent agreeing that laws should be strengthened. That’s up from 25 percent in 2012. (Reuters + Gallup)

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