Democrats vow vote on gun bills; Biden says ‘we have to act’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats say they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from it its second mass shooting in a week. President Joe Biden says, “We have to act,” but prospects for any major changes are dim, for now, in the closely divided Congress. Biden urged Congress to move quickly to close the loopholes in the background check system and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that Biden would not exclude taking executive action on gun control measures, but “if we really want something that is going to be lasting, we need to pass legislation.”