This new political gun fight comes about 15 months after a bipartisan gun-control measure was defeated in April 2013 despite the December 2012 mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., that drew national outrage and calls for new legislation.

As the fighting continues, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) began using procedural steps Wednesday to advance the hunting and fishing bill, leaving open a slim possibility that Democrats and Republicans will agree to votes on gun-related amendments and pass the bill. If such an agreement can’t be reached, the measure could be quickly blocked and defeated.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the hunting bill’s lead GOP sponsor, said she was hopeful that a deal could be reached, noting that both parties have worked together at other points this year to pass modest bipartisan measures. “I want to believe that we can actually legislate around here,” she said.