Reid Signals That New Assault Weapons Ban Unlikely

Impact

Like I said three weeks ago, a push for a new assault weapons ban would be political suicide for Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a well-known supporter of gun rights, has acknowledged that he agrees.

Speaking to Nevada press, Reid indicated that a new federal gun law probably wouldn't pass this Congress. "Let’s be realistic. In the Senate, we’re going to do what we think can get through the House," said Reid, "and I’m not going to be going through a bunch of these gyrations just to say we’ve done something."

Reid's hesitance to pursue sweeping federal gun control suggests that congressional Democrats are uneasy about spending political capital on gun control regulations that wouldn't pass a GOP House. 

It remains to be seen whether congressional gun control advocates will pursue smaller measures such as magazine size restrictions but the political risk of a sweeping new law similar to the one that cost the Democrats control of Congress in the 90's appears to be too great to pursue.

This makes Vice President Biden's proposed 19 executive actions even more important as they may be the oinly realistic gun control measures to see implementation in the forseeable future.