Every leading Democratic presidential candidate now supports a renewed ban on assault-style weapons, an issue that the party has considered too hot to touch for most of the past quarter-century.
But House Democrats, who are preparing for their first legislative hearing Wednesday on the issue in years, remain just short of the 218 votes needed to pass such a ban on the floor.
The contrast between the presidential candidates’ aggressive embrace of a federal ban and the palpable caution of House Democratic leaders illuminates the enormously complex and challenging legislative landscape still confronting gun control advocates, even as polls now consistently show clear national majorities in support for the major components of their agenda, including a ban on assault-style weapons. CONT.
Ronald Brownstein & Aaron Kessler, CNN
Recent polls: Guns