Senate Democrats plan to propose a bill to close a number of loopholes in the background check system for gun purchases, multiple outlets report. The bill will be similar to a bipartisan proposal put forward by West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey in 2013 after the Sandy Hook massacre; that bill failed in the Senate by a vote of 54–46 with five Democrats voting against it. Among the reforms outlined by Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow and New York’s Chuck Schumer in a letter to colleagues:
- Expanding the background check system to cover guns sold at gun shows and online.
- Extending the period, which is currently three days, after which a purchaser can get their gun even if a background check is not yet completed. (This is how Charleston, South Carolina, killer Dylann Roof got his weapon.)
- Adding “abusive dating partners, individuals under a court-imposed restraining order and convicted stalkers” to the list of people banned prohibited from buying firearms.
- Making it a crime to be a “straw purchaser” who buys a weapon for somebody else.
Senate Dems apparently plan to block action on other bills until the gun control measures are brought to a vote; Republicans hold a 54-seat majority in the chamber.
