Will the Arizona shootings have any effect on gun control?

In the wake of Saturday's tragedy, gun control reformers have called for a crackdown on the sale of assault weapons. Will this be a turning point?

Jared Loughner allegedly wielded a Glock 19 9mm semi-automatic hand gun (similar to the weapon pictured here). The magazine it uses would have been illegal under an assault weapons ban that e
(Image credit: Corbis)

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), a longtime gun-control advocate, is set to introduce legislation targeting the type of high-capacity ammunition clips used by the suspected gunman in Saturday's shootings in Arizona. The gun allegedly used to kill six in Tucson, Ariz., was a Glock 19 9mm semi-automatic, and its high-capacity magazine would have been illegal under the federal assault-weapons ban that Congress allowed to expire in 2004. Thanks to Arizona's liberal gun laws, the alleged gunman was able to buy it after submitting to a simple, instant background check. McCarthy wants to restore the federal ban, but admits that she doubts whether her effort will gain enough support. Will the Giffords shooting spur lawmakers to act? (Watch an MSNBC discussion about gun rights)

No politician has the guts to stand up for gun control: While pundits dissect Sarah Palin's role in this tragedy, says John Cook at Gawker, no one is talking about banning "plainly insane people" from buying handguns. Why? "Because gun control is a loser [issue]." Americans seem to prefer the occasional mass killing to a sensible conversation about gun control, and "no politicians have the courage to try to convince them otherwise."

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