After the third apparent assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in late April and the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September, Democratic lawmakers condemned escalating political violence. But they did not call for moving any of their gun control priorities.

The lack of action shows how legislating on firearms has become nearly impossible on Capitol Hill, and how both parties have dug into their own rhetoric. Republicans continue to rally their base around opposition to any firearms control, while Democrats counter that steps should be taken to combat violence but have shown little appetite for that highly politicized fight ahead of the midterms.

Some of the Democrats who championed Congress’ sweeping gun safety reform package that passed in 2022 told NOTUS that apathy is a problem.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) helped lead bipartisan negotiations on the 2022 bill following several high-profile shootings, including one that killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

“The unfortunate reality of this issue is that we don’t talk about it in the absence of a mass shooting,” Murphy said.

Some lawmakers and interest groups said Democrats need to do more to spotlight the issue in today’s era of heightened political threats.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida), who was previously the national organizing director for the gun control group March For Our Lives, told NOTUS that Democrats should not wait to regain the majority to press for gun control.

“People want to talk about rhetoric, which I think is part of it, but the fact of the matter is, there’s tough rhetoric in politics around the world, and the amount of political violence in the United States is not touching other places. We should also be talking about the means of political violence,” Frost said.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) — whose wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and now runs a gun violence prevention organization — said it’s imperative that Democrats draw the link between political violence and the abuse of firearms.

“If it’s violence where somebody is dangerous and shouldn’t get access to a firearm, well, there’s clearly stuff we can do about it,” Kelly said. “And we should. We need to continue to build the support to take action and to make the American people safe again.”

Aneesa McMillan, the communications director at Giffords’ gun violence prevention organization, told NOTUS that the group has primarily been working in statehouses while the federal conversation around gun control has stalled.

McMillan said she’d like to see Democratic senators refocus on gun control in the Capitol, especially as members grapple with how to respond to political violence.

“It is incumbent upon those senators to continue to talk about the issue and bring solutions to the forefront in this moment,” she said. “People at the state level are also continuing to do that because a lot of times they are on the front lines of dealing with the tragedies.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) added that regardless of the political environment, gun violence continues to affect Americans.

“Communities are still living every day with the threat of gun violence, and we should be [discussing it],” Van Hollen said. “We should not allow ourselves to lose that.”

Democrats’ step back on gun control comes as some in the party are touting looser positions on gun ownership, particularly in rural states and districts.

Graham Platner, the frontrunner to be the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, has said that as a military veteran and a gun owner, he opposes a ban on assault weapons like AR-15s.

Maine state Sen. Joe Baldacci, the frontrunner in the Democratic primary to replace Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), has opposed red flag laws for gun buyers in his state, and Colorado state Rep. Shannon Bird, one of the candidates vying to replace Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colorado), voted against a state bill to ban assault weapons.

The shift follows a massive restructuring of gun lobbying as the National Rifle Association faces a historic decline in membership and unprecedented financial strain. Groups like Gun Owners of America and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms industry, are now stepping up their presence in Washington.

Larry Keane, senior vice president at NSSF, told NOTUS that Democrats’ marketing of the 2022 gun control bill has turned off Republicans from collaborating with them on any future gun reform measure. The bill enhanced background checks for those under 21, banned convicted domestic abusers from buying firearms and provided funding for states to implement red flag laws and student mental health and violence prevention programs.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who helped lead the bipartisan initiative, recently lost his bid for reelection in a primary contest in part due to backlash against his role in negotiating the act.

“The actions by Senator Murphy and the Biden administration hyping the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was a genuine effort at bipartisanship, has put a bad taste in the mouths of many Republicans,” Keane said. “You have to assume that Republicans would be very wary of touching the hot stove again.”

Most of the Democratic lawmakers asked by NOTUS said they continue to support measures like red flag laws and a federal assault weapons ban, but they conceded those have not been a top issue given the political environment and reluctance from Republicans.

“We know the political realities,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) told NOTUS.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California), who led Democrats’ efforts on gun reform in the House, also said he agrees it’s challenging to discuss gun reform across the aisle.

“I think that we are doing stuff, and we talk about it in committee, but unfortunately the Republicans are in lockstep with the NRA,” Thompson told NOTUS. “So it’s very difficult to do it.”

But Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) said general dysfunction in Congress will ultimately prohibit Democrats from moving forward on any meaningful firearm-related legislation.

“It’s still a priority for us, but at this point, we know that they’re not going to do anything about it,” Duckworth said. “I don’t even think we’re going to get a farm bill through, a transportation bill. … Do I think we’re going to get an assault weapons ban through? Never.”