DENVER (AP) -- The head of the National Rifle Association says he's confident that Congress won't approve an assault weapons ban or an ammunition limit in the wake of mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut.

David Keene called such gun control proposals "feel-good" measures that he says "won't do any good."

Keene is in Denver to meet with Colorado's Democratic governor and state lawmakers. He met with The Associated Press for an interview before sitting down with state officials.

Keene says universal background checks are popular with politicians but won't work. He says current background check systems are underfunded, and that requiring background checks on private sales would be a logistical mess.

Keene says that Congress and the states should focus on improving the existing background-check database.