WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is telling Democratic lawmakers that political pressures are no reason to vote against gun-control measures, including a ban on assault weapons.
Biden told House Democrats at their annual retreat in Lansdowne, Va., that the world has changed since 1994. That's when an assault-weapons ban passed by Congress was blamed for costing Democrats control of the House and Senate because they supported it.
Many gun-control proponents are concerned opposition from the powerful National Rifle Association could keep lawmakers from backing legislation this time around.
Biden says public attitudes have evolved. He says lawmakers should vote for what they believe, but he doesn't want to hear them say they can't take on gun violence because it's too politically dangerous.
