Senators Unveil Proposal to Bolster Gun Background Checks
- Incentives added for states, U.S. to report criminal history
- Legislation follows killing of 26 people in Texas church
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday to ensure federal and state authorities comply with existing law and accurately report individuals’ criminal histories to a system used for background checks ahead of gun purchases.
The measure -- whose sponsors include John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, and Democrats Dianne Feinstein of California and Chris Murphy of Connecticut -- represents a rare bipartisan consensus on an issue that has deeply divided the two parties for decades.