WASHINGTON -- For a brief moment after the Las Vegas massacre last fall, Republicans and Democrats in Congress talked about taking a rare step to tighten the nation's gun laws. Four months later, the only gun legislation that has moved in the House or Senate instead eases restrictions for gun owners.
The October deaths of 58 people in Las Vegas and other mass shootings have sparked debate but have had scant impact on the march toward looser gun laws under the Republican-controlled Congress. There's little sign that the shooting deaths of 17 people at a Florida high school Wednesday will change that dynamic.
The conversation at the Capitol on Thursday followed a familiar pattern. Many Democrats revived calls for tighter gun laws, while Republicans focused on the mental health of the accused shooter.
"As a parent, it scares me to death that this body doesn't take seriously the safety of my children, and it seems like a lot of parents in South Florida are going to be asking that same question," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading advocate of tighter gun control.
After the Las Vegas shooting, Murphy and other lawmakers from both parties pushed to ban bump stocks, the device that allowed the shooter's semiautomatic rifles to mimic the rapid fire of machine guns.
Those efforts soon fizzled amid opposition from Republican leaders. Instead, the GOP-controlled House approved a bill in December making it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines.
The concealed carry measure, a top priority of the National Rifle Association, would allow gun owners with state-issued concealed-carry permits to carry handguns in any state that allows concealed weapons.
The bill includes a provision to strengthen the FBI database of prohibited gun buyers -- a response to another shooting in which a gunman slaughtered more than two dozen people at a Texas church in November.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that Congress should focus on whether existing laws -- including those designed to prevent mentally ill people from getting guns -- are working.
"We need to think less about taking sides and fighting each other politically" and should instead pull together, Ryan said.
The suspect in Wednesday's shooting is Nikolas Cruz, 19, who posted disturbing material on social media, according to officials. He had been expelled from the high school in Parkland, Fla., for "disciplinary reasons," Broward County, Fla., Sheriff Scott Israel said.
The latest deadly shooting prompted Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., to declare, "enough is enough."
Addressing those who say it's too soon to talk about gun violence, Nelson asked, "When is the right time? How many more times do we want to do this? How many more folks have to die?"
Nelson and other Democrats said Congress must do more than talk about mental illness. "Let's get to the root cause ... let's get these assault weapons off our streets," he said.
The accused Florida shooter was armed with his own AR-15 rifle, the same type of weapon used in Las Vegas and Texas last fall, as well as in earlier shootings at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and a school in Newtown, Conn.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he would speak to President Donald Trump and fellow Cabinet members about gun violence.
Testifying on the president's budget, Mnuchin called the school shooting a tragedy and said, "I urge Congress to look at this issue."
Mnuchin's remark seemed at odds with the White House, which has not sought legislation or additional money to curb gun violence.
Information for this article was contributed by Kevin Freking, Andrew Taylor and Martin Crutsinger of The Associated Press.
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