Senate Democrats are pushing leadership to keep provisions cracking down on gun safety or research out of annual spending bills in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

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The 23 Democrats are pushing the Senate's top two lawmakers to keep the "Dickey rider," named after former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.), out of any of the 12 annual appropriations bills.

They argue that the provision, which has been in every spending bill since 1996, was meant to stop "lobbying" on gun control but has been "misconstrued" as a ban on research.

Dickey told The Huffington Post last year he regrets the fallout from the rider bearing his name. "I wish we had started the proper research and kept it going all this time," he said

Wednesday's letter comes as Democrats push for new gun control legislation following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, but their efforts have so far stalled.