Democrats plan to ‘vigorously’ pursue ban on high capacity magazines, assault weapons

Democrats will be "pursuing vigorously" a ban on high capacity magazines and assault weapons as a way to reduce gun violence, a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force told reporters Tuesday.

"Over the next several weeks, we will be working very hard over a series of hearings and meetings to generate the sorts of solutions that the country deserves to have at this critical time," said Connecticut Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty, one of 12 House members who met with Vice President Joe Biden and thee Cabinet officials Monday to discuss policy reactions to the string of violent mass shootings in the United States. "I will be supporting the assault weapons ban, and we certainly will be pursuing vigorously high capacity magazines, which were used in this and virtually every mass killing in this country."

Esty said that during the meeting with Biden, he discussed a "comprehensive set of policy proposals" and "a number of executive actions" that the administration will put forth.

Members of Congress and the White House have been under significant pressure to act on guns since a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012. They will likely face powerful pushback from the National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups expected to vigorously oppose any new gun restrictions.

President Barack Obama, Esty said, would make the details public at noon on Wednesday.