Senators Talk Gun Background Checks    05/27 06:11

   A bipartisan group of senators is considering how Congress should respond to 
the horrific shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, 
restarting gun control talks that have broken down many times before.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bipartisan group of senators is considering how 
Congress should respond to the horrific shooting of 19 children and two 
teachers in Uvalde, Texas, restarting gun control talks that have broken down 
many times before.

   Aware of the difficulty of their task, the Democrats and Republicans say 
they hope to find agreement on legislation that could help reduce the number of 
mass shootings in the United States. The Uvalde shooting came 10 days after a 
gunman opened fire in a racist attack killing Black people at a Buffalo, New 
York, supermarket.

   Senators have narrowed the discussion to a few ideas, some of them based on 
legislation they have been working on for years, such as expanded background 
checks or red flag laws that keep guns away from people who could do harm. Led 
by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the group of 10 is hoping to 
negotiate a proposal over the Senate's upcoming recess and have it ready for a 
vote at the beginning of June.

   It is uncertain if the group can come to consensus, and even if they do, 
winning enough votes from Republicans could prove difficult, as most do not 
want to see changes in the nation's gun laws. Democrats would need 10 
Republican votes to overcome a filibuster and get a bill through the 50-50 
Senate.

   "Odds are against us, but we owe it to parents and kids to try," tweeted 
Murphy, who has been a lead advocate for stricter gun control since 20 children 
and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, 
Connecticut, in 2012.

   A look at the proposals under consideration, and others that are not:

   RED FLAG LAWS

   Senators emerging from a bipartisan meeting Thursday were talking about the 
possibility of incentivizing states to pass red flag laws that take firearms 
away from people who may do harm to themselves or others.

   Many states have adopted red flag laws, including Florida, which passed a 
law after the Parkland high school shooting in 2018, and Maine, which has a 
"yellow flag" law that requires a medical professional to sign off before guns 
were removed. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican, has pushed for 
something similar on the federal level.

   Republicans are unlikely to get on board with a red flag statute for the 
entire country. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican who is also 
part of the group, said after the meeting that would be a non-starter, 
"whatever the color."

   As an alternative, they are discussing whether federal grants could coax 
states into implementing such flag laws, an idea explored in past years by 
Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Blumenthal, who is 
working with Graham on the compromise proposal, said the "complicated and 
challenging part" will be figuring out what the standards are for removing guns 
from a person who is flagged.

   Still, Blumenthal said "there is a powerful emotional element to the red 
flag statute that gives it momentum, especially after Uvalde and Buffalo, where 
the shooter indicated very strong signs that he was dangerous." The shooter in 
New York had been reported by his school, but the state's red flag law was not 
triggered.

   The House is planning to pass its own version of red flag legislation when 
it returns from a two-week recess June 6.

   EXPANDED BACKGROUND CHECKS

   Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., have been trying for 
almost a decade to pass expanded background checks for all commercial gun 
sales, including at gun shows and on the internet. Under current law, 
background checks are required only when guns are purchased from federally 
licensed dealers.

   The idea has wide public support, even among many gun owners, but the two 
senators have faced resistance from congressional Republicans who don't want 
any changes, along with groups like the National Rifle Association. Various 
versions of the proposal have been repeatedly defeated in the Senate, including 
in 2013 after the Newtown massacre and in 2016 after a shooting in which 49 
people were killed at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub.

   The House passed legislation last year that would expand background checks 
to almost all sales, including private sales. The senators have been in talks 
since then about crafting a version that could pass their chamber, but they 
have yet to come to agreement. Manchin says the House version goes too far and 
could interfere with informal sales between people who know each other.

   Manchin and Toomey, who is retiring this year, are part of the Senate 
working group and are tasked with finding compromise on their proposal -- 
perhaps for the last time. Toomey said Thursday that the measure doesn't have 
enough support to pass right now, "but I hope we'll get there."

   SCHOOL SECURITY

   Republicans who have traditionally opposed gun control have seized on the 
idea of "hardening" schools, giving money for more resources, law enforcement 
officers or even arming teachers.

   Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota suggested this week that 
Congress "promote direct funding for local units, to be able to have the 
resources available to add additional protections to offer a deterrence for 
these individuals."

   Murphy said Thursday that he is "open" on adding funds for school security 
and that the working group is looking at what could be done along those lines. 
But Democrats have adamantly opposed arming teachers, and they say money for 
security is not enough.

   'CHARLESTON LOOPHOLE'

   A second bill passed by the House last year would extend the review period 
for background checks from three to 10 days. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., 
introduced the legislation after a shooter killed nine people at a historic 
Black Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.

   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer started the process of bringing that 
bill to the Senate floor this week, but it does not appear to be a part of the 
Senate negotiations.

   The FBI said after the Charleston shooting that a background check examiner 
never saw the shooter's previous arrest report because the wrong arresting 
agency was listed in state criminal history records, and the gun dealer was 
legally permitted to complete the transaction after three days. Clyburn and 
other supporters of the legislation say it would fix that problem.

   Republicans have overwhelmingly opposed the legislation, saying it could 
delay purchases for lawful gun owners.

   ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

   An assault weapons ban passed in the 1990s expired 10 years later, and 
Democrats have not been able to muster the votes to pass another one. The 
Senate rejected a renewed ban in 2013, along with the Manchin-Toomey proposal, 
after the Newtown shooting. Senators also rejected a ban on high-capacity 
magazines that year.

   Biden last year proposed a ban on assault weapons and many Democrats believe 
that would be one of the most effective ways to curb mass shootings, since they 
almost always involve those types of weapons. But a ban has almost no support 
among Republicans and has not been a part of the discussions so far.

   Murphy, who gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor Tuesday as the 
news broke of the Texas shooting, has said he wants to start with proposals 
that are doable.

   "There is a common denominator we can find," Murphy said. "There is a place 
where we can achieve agreement."