Sen. Al Franken Raises Doubts About Support For Assault Weapons Ban

[hack89]

34. I have never been concerned about an actual AWB passing

I am a political junkie - I follow Congress very closely and have a very good understanding about how it actually works. I knew, for example, that the House would not do nothing until the Senate acted - the repukes are not willingly going to stick their fingers into the saw blades. They are happy to sit there until the debt ceiling fight starts in a few weeks and distracts everyone away from guns.

The only way for the President to keep any momentum was for the Senate to get the ball rolling and send a law to the House. But one look at the Democratic Senators up for reelection in 2014 makes it clear why many of them may not be willing to support gun control as they represent conservative states

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2014_Senate_election_map.svg

And low and behold, I was right:

Washington (CNN) -- Unlike most issues these days that divide along party lines, the immediate fate of President Obama's new gun proposals will depend not as much on Republicans as his fellow Democrats in the Senate.

Senate Democratic leadership sources tell CNN that passing any new legislation will be extremely difficult because more than a dozen vulnerable Democrats from conservative states will probably resist much of what the president is pushing.

These Democratic sources say the most likely legislation to pass will be strengthening background checks, since it is the least overt form of gun control and it also appeals to gun rights advocates' emphasis on keeping guns away from people with mental health and criminal problems.

Democratic leadership sources say they intend to spend next week -- the first week the Senate is in session -- canvassing red-state Democrats to see what, if anything, is doable. Democratic senators who advocate various gun control measures will be lobbying their colleagues as well.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/politics/senate-democrats-gun-legislation/index.html