WASHINGTON — Gun-control advocates lost ground in the 2004 elections, ending any shot that Congress will renew a federal ban on assault weapons in the next two years. "My general reading is that neither side wants it to come up," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4. The 10-year-old ban, which Shays co-authored, outlawed 19 semi-automatic weapons as well as guns with certain military-style features such as folding stocks, bayonet mounts or flash suppressors. A clause... (GunPolicy.org)