Riding a wave of outrage following the Sandy Hook school massacre, US Senators are set advance a package of gun-control bills that President Barack Obama has declared one of the central pieces of his second term. But will Americans go along?

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve four gun-control bills before the weekend, thus paving the way for heated debates in the Senate over a proposed ban on assault weapons, as well as calls for expanded background checks on prospective gun owners.

Political observers are almost unanimous in the belief that Congress has no chance of passing an all-out ban on assault weapons, which have been blamed for a rash of shootings, including a recent rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 school children and six adults were indiscriminately killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham defended the right of Americans to use semiautomatic weapons, pointing to post-Katrina New Orleans as an example, said an AR-15 assault rifle would be vital protection against “armed gangs roaming around neighborhoods.”

However, the introduction of more extensive background checks for gun buyers may be one area where Republicans and Democrats can find some compromise.

The debate hinges on whether the government has the right to maintain a directory of private gun sales. Republicans, which make up the majority of the hugely influential National Rifle Association (NRA), are fiercely opposed to handing over such ‘arbitrary powers’ to the federal government.

AFP Photo / Scott Olson

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said it was possible to reach an accord with Democrats on background checks, but there was a chance "we won't, and that will be a shame," Reuters quoted the Republican as saying.

According to the results of a January CBS/New York Times poll, more than 90 per cent of Americans support expanded background checks on prospective gun owners.

Two other areas of possible agreement between Democrats and Republicans involve giving the government expanded powers to fight the illegal trafficking of firearms, as well as bolstering security in schools across the nation.

Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, has proposed a bill that toughen statutes against ‘straw purchasers’ - individuals who firearms and resell them to people who are prohibited from owning guns. To date, Leahy’s bill has attracted four co-sponsors - two fellow Democrats and two Republicans.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer has received bipartisan support for her bill that would provide $40 million annually for 10 years in matching federal grants to schools in an effort to beef up security.The measure would empower the US Justice Department to create a National Center for Campus Public Safety.

"Congress spends hundreds of millions a year to protect its members,” the California senator said earlier this week.“It can certainly spend $40 million a year to protect our children."

Democrats control the Judiciary Committee, but they will need 60 votes to pass gun control legislation in the 100-member Senate where they have a 55-45 majority.

The NRA has witnessed a surge in new membership, gaining about half-a-million new members since mid-December, bringing total membership to about 4.5 million over fears of a government crackdown on gun sales.

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