But don’t look for any new gun control laws coming out of Capitol Hill in the wake of the Tucson shooting rampage.

The reason is not only the new Republican majority in the House -it’s that the Democrats have traveled far from what was once one of their core legislative goals.

Democrats championed gun control in the 1980s and 1990s. But many backed away after the 2000 election, when Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore’s support for tighter gun laws likely cost him votes in key rural areas.

The result has been an effective truce on guns, one that allowed the assault weapons ban to expire in 2004 and has even seen key Democrats emerge as some of the gun lobby’s leading allies.

The truce is believed to have served Barack Obama well when he was a presidential candidate. In 2008, gun control, once a barrier for Democrats seeking votes in states like Virginia, Indiana or Nevada, hardly registered as a top topic.

That strategy is likely to carry into 2012 election. After conservative-led rout in November, Democrats running in red states – and there are many in the Senate – will be eager to burnish their conservative credentials and hesitant to bump against the powerful National Rifle Association.

Many factors in the Tucson rampage reflect the availability of guns and ammunition in this country: the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, easily purchased a Glock semi-automatic pistol with extended cartridges. He went practice shooting in the desert on the morning of the attack, in which six died and 14 others were wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), herself the owner of a Glock. The state recently allowed guns to be carried into bars, and is contemplating legislation that would allow college students to carry firearms on campus.

Advocates of new federal gun controls are planning to introduce legislation, but their aims are minimal and their expectations for passage very low.

“We’re not looking at banning all weapons,” said Rep. Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat who wants to close a loophole that allows some private dealers to sell guns without conducting background checks. “We’re looking to make sure that innocent people from all over will be safe in their own homes and public places. I think the tragedy and the heavy moment in which we find ourselves lends itself to some contemplation. I think there’s a hope, at least, for reasonableness.”

The argument is not likely to woo staunch gun rights advocates in Congress.