Congress Returns To Work Under Mounting Pressure To Act On Gun Control

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Congress is returning to work and faces intense public pressure to end the decades-long gridlock on gun control with no clear consensus on what changes, if any, should be made.

Gun control advocates took to the Sunday talk shows to push for greater restrictions on access to assault-style weapons in wake of the shooting this month at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

On CBS' "Face the Nation," Florida Congressman Brian Mast said he supports banning the AR-15, the weapon used in the Parkland shooting, noting the assault weapon mimics one he used in the military.

"It pains me to know that I went out there willing to defend my country, willing to give everything with almost the exact same weapon that's used to go out there and unfortunately kill children here in Parkland," he said.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy told CNN real action needs to happen.

"Let's do the easy parts, but that doesn't mean that we should give up on a quest to try to make sure that kids who have these challenges don't have access to a military-style assault weapon that can kill dozens of people in five minutes," Murphy said, adding that he's encouraged by the president's invitation to the White House to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association pointed the finger of blame at law enforcement for failing to act on several warnings that could have prevented the Parkland shooting.

Polls show a majority of Americans support changes to gun laws but in this election year Republicans will be looking to their conservative bases to thwart any challenges from the far right.