US Democratic leader: Assault weapon ban lacks support in Senate

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday that fewer than 40 of his chamber's 100 members support a White House-backed bill to renew a ban against military-style assault weapons.

The scant support virtually assures rejection of the bill, a centerpiece of Obama's bid to curb gun violence in wake of a massacre at a Connecticut elementary school on Dec. 14 that left 20 children and six adults dead. (Reuters)