Toomey to introduce bill broadening background checks for firearms

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is planning to introduce legislation that expands background checks for firearm purchases, according to The Washington Post.

The senator — who, along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), led an effort in 2013 to impose tougher gun measures — told the Post that he believes there is “a shot at getting a little bit of momentum” for background checks.

The legislation Toomey plans to propose will be a revival of the measure that failed to pass in 2013, which would have expanded background checks to cover sellers that have otherwise been able to skirt background checks, like online sellers and unlicensed gun show dealers.

Toomey told the Post that while some senators might have issues with his proposal, he feels it is the legislation most likely to find approval in the highly partisan Senate.

The announcement comes less than a week after a mass shooting at a South Florida high school that left 17 people dead and 14 others injured.

The shooting has reignited a national gun debate that had fizzled after the Las Vegas shooting in October.

A new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that a majority of Americans support stricter gun laws. The poll also found that 97 percent of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.

President Trump on Tuesday directed the Department of Justice to draft regulations that would ban bump stocks, a device that turns semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons.