Dems ponder gun control

An FBI agent talks to a potential witness as they stand near the scene Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where a gunman opened fire inside a country-music bar, killing 12 people. The latest mass shooting in the U.S. has prompted some top Democrats to talk of gun-control measures. National Rifle Association. In Colorado, Democrat Jason Crow beat GOP Rep. Mike Coffman, who received an A rating from the NRA and more than $37,000 in campaign contributions from the group.

“Our base is worked up, and people are reacting in a positive way at the ballot box,” said Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “We’re finding candidates who aren’t afraid to talk about this issue.”

Spending to support candidates backing tougher gun control surged this year, even as campaign spending by the NRA declined. Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pledged $30 million for this year’s elections and continued to put new money into competitive races in the final days. A political action committee formed by Gabby Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman wounded in a shooting, spent nearly $5 million.

Sixty-one percent of voters who responded to VoteCast, a survey of the electorate conducted by The Associated Press, said they support stricter gun laws, compared with 8 percent who said they should be loosened. Eighty-six percent of those supporting Democratic candidates backed stricter gun laws, along with 34 percent of those who supported Republicans.