Gun control no longer a dormant issue

President Obama’s new call for tougher gun rules following the shooting of an Arizona congresswoman has energized gun-control advocates, but one leading Democrat isn’t holding his breath for reform. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and a long-time proponent of stronger gun laws, said it’s unlikely any Second Amendment reforms will move through Congress while Republicans control the lower chamber. Obama’s push for tighter gun-sale screenings will help generate debate about the adequacy of current precautions, Conyers said, but significant reform is unlikely in the current political environment. Other gun-reform advocates — who’ve been waiting two years for Obama to make good on campaign promises to tackle gun issues head on — were much more invigorated. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) said she’s hoping Obama’s move lends legs to her proposal to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines. Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, called Obama’s stand “the most significant statement from … anybody in the White House in over a decade on gun violence.” And Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said any debate represents progress over the last Congress, when his requests for gun hearings fell on deaf ears among Democratic leadership...more