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Both chambers of Congress will be back at work in little more than two weeks, and Democrats are chomping at the bit to tackle issues now center stage in the political sphere.

Chief among them is guns, which remain a preeminent issue nearly a month after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, where 31 individuals were killed. While discussions have cooled in recent weeks, Democrats and some Republicans are looking to September and beyond as an opening to measures to respond to gun violence, particularly legislation to strengthen background checks and allow law enforcement authorities to confiscate weapons using state “red flag” laws.

As Jordain Carney reports, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is heading up negotiations with the White House to expand background checks, which he admits is a tall task given that the Connecticut Democrat has been through this song and dance before. Murphy, a former House member, was elected only weeks prior to the fatal shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but nothing was done in the aftermath.

However, Murphy senses an opportunity after talks with the White House and President Trump but recognizes the steep climb ahead as skepticism runs rampant in Democratic circles. He puts chances at striking a deal at less than 50-50.

The White House has “made it clear to me that they are very open to legislation that would expand background checks. That’s what the president told me personally. That’s what the White House reiterated to me,” Murphy told The Hill in an interview.

Murphy isn’t the only one who thinks there’s a chance to pass legislation. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who pushed a limited background check bill alongside Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) following the Sandy Hook shooting in 2013, told Politico that this is the best chance in the last six years to pass a bill of this kind, even though it may be a more narrow background check so it could pass a GOP-held Senate.

However, the legislation will likely live or die based on Trump’s druthers, and his political cover for GOP lawmakers has been scattershot.

“The sweet spot is whatever President Trump is willing to support. If President Trump endorses a background checks bill, we will be able to get to 60 votes in the Senate,” Murphy said.

Over in the House, House Democrats want to go a step further and tackle the rise of white nationalism and domestic terrorism, largely in response to the El Paso shooting. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has been holding field hearings this month, and will have a formal hearing in September.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is marking up a hate-crimes bill next week to bar gun sales to those convicted of misdemeanor hate-crimes. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has a bill that would provide state-based grants to bolster the reporting of hate crimes, strengthen support services for victims and train local law enforcement in managing bias-based cases, which he wants brought up immediately. Adding fuel to the fire, outside liberal groups are clamoring for something to be done on the issue.