The night after the U.S. midterm elections[1], a gunman opened fire inside a California bar killing 12 people.
READ MORE: 13 dead, including police officer, after shooting in California country bar[2]
Democrats long promised that if they won control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, gun reform would be a priority.
And now they will have control. So what will happen to U.S. gun laws?
Here’s a look at what Democrats promised
Democrat minority house leader Nancy Pelosi, who is now hoping to lead the house, promised to take on the issue of gun control by strengthening gun background checks.
Several other Democrat candidates campaigned on gun reform promises — and won.
READ MORE: Ian David Long identified as gunman who killed 12[3]
One notable example is Colorado’s Jason Crow who ousted Rep. Mike Coffman, who received thousands of dollars from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Crow campaigned in favour of more detailed background checks for gun owners and banning assault weapons according to Buzzfeed News.[4]
The NRA had given Crow an “F” rating, The New York Times reported[5], and boasted that Coffman would protect Second Amendment rights, giving him an “A.”
Jooyoung Lee, a University of Toronto professor who studies gun control, explained to Global News that these promises are likely to face many hurdles.
WATCH: Nancy Pelosi says Democrats had to ‘jump over gerrymandered lines’ to win House
“For a bill to become law, it has to be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, then it has to be ratified by the president,” Lee explained.
He noted that the Senate remains in Republican control.
