House Democrats unveil gun control package; mirrors Obama's WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled a broad proposal on Thursday to curb gun violence that mirrors the one offered last month by President Barack Obama, including a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. But it remained unclear if the proposals will be put to a vote. The House Republican leadership has said it doesn't intend to bring legislation to the floor until the Senate has acted, and there are doubts the Senate will pass gun control legislation. "We know it's going to be tough, but we also know this is important," said Mike Thompson, chairman of the 12-member House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task that drafted the proposals. Opponents led by influential and well-financed pro-gun groups charge that new restrictions on firearms would violate the right to bear arms. Backers disagree. They argue that while Americans have the right to own guns, the government has the responsibility to impose restrictions for the public good. There has been unprecedented public support for tougher gun laws in wake of the Connecticut school massacre in December that killed 20 children and six adults. In addition to outlawing semi-automatic assault weapons and imposing limits on high-capacity ammunition clips, the House Democrat package, like one advanced by the White House, would require that all gun buyers be subject to background checks and provide for improvements in mental health services. At this point the only gun-related proposal with much bipartisan support is the one requiring universal background checks. The new package was announced on the second day of a three-day retreat by House Democrats that featured a visit by the president. He suggested that despite opposition by gun groups, many individual gun owners favor new restrictions. "A majority of responsible gun owners recognize that we can't have a situation in which 20 more of our children or 100 more of our children or 1,000 more of our children are shot and killed," Obama told the meeting. "There are common sense steps we can take," Obama said, "and we should not shy away from taking those steps." "I don't want to hear about 'Well, we can't take it on because it's too politically dangerous,'" Biden said. The powerful National Rifle Association has led the charge against stricter gun laws but has agreed with those who have called for improvements in mental health treatment. It strongly condemned the Democratic proposals on Thursday. "Congress should instead focus its energies on the things that will actually keep our families and communities safer - prosecuting criminals who misuse firearms; securing our schools; and fixing the broken mental health system that keeps dangerously ill people on the street," the group said. Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Cynthia Osterman