A wave of mass shootings over the weekend, which left two people dead and dozens wounded, has renewed frustration among gun safety advocates who say Democrats have done little on the issue since taking control of Washington 15 months ago.

The difficulty in passing meaningful gun legislation reflects broader problems for the party's agenda, which has been slowed by internal disputes, the continuing pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Near-unified Republican opposition has also hampered Democrats, who hold razor-thin majorities in both the House and Senate. Advocates and shooting victims, however, say that offers little comfort. The inaction could also weaken the coalition of young people, women, voters of color and independents that helped put Joe Biden in the White House in 2020.

"I'm just angry," said David Hogg, a gun safety activist who survived the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people. "We took the House and then we took the Senate and now we have the White House, too, and still, nothing is changing."

Rep. Lucy McBath, a Georgia Democrat whose son was shot to death nearly a decade ago, urged patience. She compared the push to reduce gun violence with her parents' civil rights work a generation earlier. "Change doesn't come as quickly as we ever want it to happen," she said, adding that she sees real progress. Her own political future is uncertain, though, as she faces a competitive primary against Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux in a redrawn district in Atlanta's northeast suburbs.

White House aides say Biden is doing all he can. Last week he signed an executive order targeting untraceable "ghost guns." He also spoke about gun violence in his first State of the Union address and requested large increases in police funding in his 2023 budget proposal. Even so, some progressives who praised those steps say more is needed. Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son Daniel was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, called the continuing violence "appalling" and said Congress must "step up and get to work." He now leads the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund.

Prospects in Congress remain dim. The House passed a bill last year expanding background checks to private and online sales, including at gun shows. Senate Democratic leaders have not scheduled a vote on their version, and with near-unanimous GOP opposition they would need at least 10 Republicans in the 50-50 Senate to overcome a filibuster. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut tried to force a vote in December, but Republicans objected, and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia opposes the House bill. A Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aide pointed to his February remarks that he strongly supports pursuing background checks.

The stakes are rising. In 2020, the latest year with federal data, 19,384 people were killed in gun homicides, a 35% jump from the prior year and the largest one-year increase on record. Republicans largely oppose new gun controls, calling them a threat to constitutional rights, and favor stronger policing and more gun ownership. They have also used rising violent crime as a public safety message, one that helped them in last fall's elections in Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The National Rifle Association sees an opening for the midterms. Spokesperson Andrew Arulanandam said there is "increased appreciation and realization in this country that gun control does not make people safer." Republican lawmakers in nine states have enacted laws since 2021 allowing concealed carry without a license, and 25 states now do not require a permit.

Polling shows gun laws have been overshadowed by other concerns. In a December AP-NORC poll, 24% named gun laws as a top issue for 2022, below the economy, COVID-19 and immigration, but up from 5% for 2021 and 12% for 2020. Some 41% of Democrats named it a priority, compared with 6% of Republicans. Meanwhile, March For Our Lives is backing primary challenges to Democratic incumbents who have not prioritized the issue, and on Tuesday, Hogg and other activists left body bags outside Schumer's New York office to protest the lack of a Senate vote.