Obama presses his gun proposals in Minnesota

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has said he hopes his panel can write gun legislation this month, though it's unclear what it will contain.

The White House picked Minneapolis as the backdrop for Obama's remarks in part because of recent steps the city has taken to tackle gun violence, including a push for stricter background checks.

After a spike in violent crimes, the city launched a program in 2008 aimed at providing more resources for at-risk youth and helping rehabilitate young people who have already perpetrated crimes. In January, Minneapolis also hosted a regional summit on gun violence for elected officials from around the Midwest.

Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau and Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek are also among the officials Obama has consulted as he pursues his anti-gun violence measures.

Stanek has also been leading a group of Minnesota sheriffs pushing for stronger background checks for people trying to buy guns.

The ban on assault weapons faces more obstacles in Congress, where Republicans and some Democrats are aligned against it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that he's willing to take a look at legislation that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons, but he also noted that he voted against a ban on such weapons in 1994 because it "didn't make sense."

Among those participating in the round table discussion Monday with Obama was Minneapolis's Democratic mayor, R.T. Rybak, who said he supports Obama's proposed bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazine, as well as universal background checks.

Earlier in the day, Rybak criticized Reid for his stand. "He's dancing around this issue and people are dying in this country," Rybak said on MSNBC.

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