Don't count on stronger gun regulation

Will Congress pass effective gun access in the wake of the horrific shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Friday?

No.

Any attempt to legislate restrictions depends on full Democratic support in the Senate. A half dozen Democratic senators up for re-election in 2014 come from states protective of the gun lobby: Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Max Baucus of Montana, Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Mark Begich of Alaska. Begich introduced a bill last year to ease interstate firearms sales, a measure supported by the National Rifle Association.

Two other Democrats also favor the NRA position on gun rights: Joe Manchin of West Virginia and senator-elect Joe Donnelly of Indiana. The NRA endorsed Donnelly in his 2008 and 2010 races for the House of Representatives.

Republican senators likely will vote in lockstep against any gun restrictions.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is even less supportive of gun regulation.

On Friday, an emotional President Obama said, "As a country, we have been through this too many times. We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."

The President's heart is in the right place, and he must be commended. But even the power of the presidency can't change deeply ingrained attitudes in Congress. The best gun control advocates can hope for is a weak, ineffective measure that would do nothing to change the problem before us.

This is depressing. I'd love to be proven wrong.

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