Senators tackle gun violence anew while Feinstein’s ban on assault weapons fades into history

By LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new generation of senators is working on gun violence prevention legislation in the aftermath of mass shootings. The effort by Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Angus King of Maine comes as Congress shows no signs of reinstating the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s landmark 1994 assault weapons ban. Heinrich, an engineer by training, is interested in regulating “assault-style” guns to be made with fixed-capacity magazines — 10 rounds per rifle — targeting the part of the weapons that allow mass shooters to fire many rounds at once. They have no Republican backers, but conversations are quietly underway in the Senate.