Article snippet: The nation's latest mass shooting has rekindled the fire under Democrats to use their newly won majority to strengthen federal gun laws in the next Congress. The issue was off the table for eight years of Republican rule, as GOP leaders have sided with the powerful gun lobby against any new gun restrictions. But House Minority Leader MORE (D-Calif.), who's seeking to regain the Speaker's gavel, vowed to move quickly on gun reform next year, citing Wednesday night's shooting massacre at a California country music bar as the latest reason Congress should step in with new restrictions on the sale and ownership of firearms. Universal background checks, Pelosi suggested, would be the likely first step. “It doesn’t cover everything, but it will save many lives,” Pelosi said Thursday night on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time" program. “This will be a priority for us going into the next Congress.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the incoming chairman the Judiciary Committee, said this week that he’ll “immediately get to work” on that legislation next year. That position marks a shift from almost decade ago, when Democrats last controlled the House and party leaders declined to consider tougher gun laws despite entreaties from some rank-and-file members. Rep. MORE (D-Ill.), a gun reformer from Chicago and member of the Judiciary Committee, had requested hearings on background checks in 2010, only to be refused. The reasons were largely political: House Democrats, at the time, had a ... Link to the full article to read more