WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nexstar) – After last weekend’s deadly mass shootings, there are renewed calls to ban assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Opponents say any attempt to do that would trample the rights of gun owners, but others say lives are at stake.
President Trump says the ban won’t happen.
“Well, I can tell you there is no political appetite for that at this moment,” he said.
The president did express Wednesday his support for universal background checks but opponents say a solution with more bite is needed.
“Most Americans recognize that this is a weapon that simply does not belong in civilian hands,” said Andrew Patrick with Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Patrick hops changing the public opinion will pressure Congress to act.
“I think we’re getting to a place where there will be change on this,” he said.
Right now, several bills are floating through Congress that would make it tougher to buy assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines. That includes legislation co-sponsored by democrat Dina Titus, which would ban the sale and possession of high-capacity magazines.
“We saw in Dayton this hundred round drum being used and it killed 9 people in 20 seconds,” Patrick said.
Opposed to most of this though is the NRA, which says any restrictive legislation would violate the rights of law-abiding citizens. The NRA said in a statement “gun and magazine bans are failed policies that won’t make anyone safer.”
“We’re going to come up with something that’s going to be really good,” President Trump said.
The president has yet to say specifically what that something will be or whose authority will make it happen.
