Steve Chapman: Gun control still won't work

It has been a dismal decade for gun control advocates. They lost the federal so-called assault weapons ban when it expired in 2004. The Supreme Court made history by proclaiming an individual right to own firearms for self-defense. A Democratic president came into office vowing not to take away anyone’s guns.

So it’s no surprise that anti-gun forces would take the mass shooting in Tucson as a rare opportunity to reverse their fortunes. It’s also no surprise that their proposals are models of futility.