House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer explained in detail at his weekly news conference his views on guns, noting that while virtually no one in Congress wants to take anyone's gun away.

But, he said, guns for war-like purposes are another matter.

Here are some of his comments:

"Nobody in the Congress that I know of -- maybe there is some but -- wants to take guns away from
individuals.  The Supreme Court has said the Second Amendment doesn't allow that anyway.  We respect that finding.  Or hunting rifles or rifles used for target practice.  But we are talking about guns that are specifically designed for war-like settings to kill a lot of people very quickly, and I think we ought to be able to deal with that, and we ought to be able to deal with the people who get access to guns..."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, has expressed doubts whether an assault weapons ban could be passed by the Senate.

Asked about prospects in the House, Hoyer said, "I don't have an assessment right now.  I think that
has been the case.  I think based on past history you would say that is the case, but I think the American people -- I think democracy works."