“If you’re a Democratic congressional candidate running in the House or Senate, it makes a great argument about how unresponsive Congress is and how beholden Congress is to special interest groups like the [National Rifle Association],” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon.
Party strategists believe a seemingly ever-escalating spate of mass shootings in recent years has shifted the politics of the issue.
Bannon touted an October CBS News/New York Times poll showing 92 percent of the American public supporting background checks for all gun buyers, including 87 percent of Republicans.
“In years past, Democrats have been a little shy about this issue, but I’ve noticed a fairly significant change in tone and tenor in the last couple of months,” said Jim Manley, a former adviser to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.). “This kind of action is going to be aggressively supported by most, if not all, Democrats.”
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