Obama 'actively supportive' of assault weapons ban

The White House said Tuesday that President Barack Obama is "actively supportive" of efforts on Capitol Hill to reinstate an assault weapons ban.

Obama has long backed the ban but has failed to push for it during his first term. The president's position has been reiterated in wake of the Newtown massacre. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein plans to introduce legislation to reinstate the ban early next year.

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"He is actively supportive of, for example, Sen. (Dianne) Feinstein’s stated intent to revive a piece of legislation that would reinstate the assault weapons ban," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Carney added that Obama would also support legislation to close the gun show "loophole," which allows people to buy guns from private dealers without background checks.

Obama in Newtown vigil (Photo: MCT)

Obama spoke Tuesday with Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat and avid hunter who is now supportive of a national discussion on preventing gun violence.

The president "Is heartened… by what we have all heard from some members of Congress who have been longtime opponents of gun control measures," Carney said.

According to Politico, Carney also offered some other gun laws Obama would back. "He supports and would support legislation that addresses the problem of the so-called gun show loophole, and there are other elements of gun legislation that he could support… high capacity ammunition clips, for example. That is certainly something he would be interested in looking at," he said.

Obama has pledged to address gun violence in the coming weeks following Friday's deadly shooting at a Connecticut school.

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