House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who plans to return as Speaker in the next Congress, declared Thursday that gun control will be a priority under the newly elected Democratic majority.

"I do believe, because in this Congress...there is bipartisan legislation to have common sense background checks to prevent guns going into the wrong hands. It doesn't cover everything, but it will save many lives," Pelosi said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" as the nation grapples with its latest mass shooting.

"This will be a priority for us going into the next Congress," she added.

Pelosi noted that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) refused to bring such legislation to the floor under his speakership, saying he did so because he knew it would actually pass.

The comments come a day after a mass shooting at a California bar killed 12 people.

Public talk of various gun control measures, ranging from universal background checks to an assault weapons ban, has grown in recent months following several high-profile mass shootings and a groundswell of activism from younger voters.

Pelosi cited such public support when asked if any legislation passed in the Democrat-controlled House will be accepted in the Republican-controlled Senate.