Senators announce background check compromise

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., right, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., finish a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, announcing that they have reached a compromise on background checks for gun buyers in the aftermath of the horrific Connecticut school shootings in December 2012.

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., unveiled a deal in a press conference on Wednesday morning to expand background checks to nearly every commercial gun purchase.

Manchin called the agreement a “first step” to passing broader legislation to cut down on gun violence.

“The events of Newtown changed us all,” Manchin said, referring to the Dec. 14 shootings that killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school. “Nobody here … with a good conscience could sit by and not try to prevent a day like that from happening again.”

Currently, only people who buy guns through federally licensed dealers have to undergo a criminal background check, leaving a loophole for some online and gun show shoppers. The new bill would expand checks to nearly every gun transaction except for some private sales and transfers among relatives. Full story.

Are you pleased with this compromise?