WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats are hoping that public anxieties about security will help them build support for an effort to bar gun purchases by terror suspects.
The Democratic push seems likely to fall victim to opposition from the National Rifle Association and congressional gun-rights backers, chiefly Republicans, who have smothered firearms curbs for years.
But if the Republicans who control Congress block votes on the proposal, Democrats hope to profit politically by winning sympathy from angry voters.
NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker notes that there have been numerous instances of innocent people mistakenly added to lists of people the government considers terror suspects.
She also accuses firearms foes in Congress of exploiting last week’s Paris terrorist attacks to advance their gun-control agenda.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.