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Sen. Nelson supports assault weapons ban

ORLANDO, Fla. — On Wednesday, the nation will hear President Barack Obama's plan to fight gun violence, and many gun advocates worry some of their rights will be taken away.

Obama’s plan is expected to include banning assault weapons, limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines and enforcing universal background checks.

Channel 9's Christopher Heath was there on Tuesday as Sen. Bill Nelson appeared with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings to talk about the gun control measures he is prepared to support.

If the president chose to go through Congress instead of using executive order, he'd have a tough sell, according to Nelson.

Nelson said winning a house majority and 60 votes in the Senate would be very difficult.

Nelson said he agrees with banning assault weapons, and he also wants to close what he says are gaping loopholes in gun show laws.

However, gun owners said it's not time for new laws, rather the enforcement of existing laws.

“When assault weapons with high-capacity magazines are killing our children, then it's time for America to act,” said Nelson.

Neil Drouin owns the Orlando Gun Vault and said new laws aren't the answer. He believes many existing laws are already going unenforced.

"Every one of the main cases you've had lately, you can point to a law that was broken," he said.

On that point, Nelson was in complete agreement, also calling for stricter enforcement.

But for Nelson, existing laws need to be bolstered. He’s calling for a limit to clip size, a return of the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole that, in most states, allows unlicensed sellers to sell guns without conducting a background check.

“Anyone buying those kinds of weapons should have an immediate check to see if they have a criminal background,” he said.