U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is optimistic that Congress could pass an expanded background check for gun sales in response to the recent mass shootings.
Murphy has championed stricter federal gun regulations since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. He said the majority of American voters support expanded background checks. That’s why he is reaching out to his Republican colleagues.
“But if they choose to sit on the outside, and not negotiate we are not going to protect them from a vote. I think it would be hard for a lot of Republicans to vote no on a reasonable background check expansion if we put it on the floor,” Murphy said.
Pat Toomey, a key GOP senator from Pennsylvania who was involved in a failed attempt to get a background check bill passed after Sandy Hook, said Congress can still strike a bipartisan deal. He said it would have to be focused on background checks only for commercial gun sales.
