Records snag bill to widen gun background checks

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid formally moved a package of gun-related bills onto the legislative calendar Thursday night, setting up the most serious debate on gun control in Congress in more than a decade, reports Paul Kane of The Washington Post.

"The proposal include provisions for a universal background check system, stricter federal criminal laws for gun trafficking and provisions to improve school safety," writes Kane. "Background checks have been the biggest stumbling block in the debate for new laws. A bipartisan collection of senators have been trying to reach an agreement on the checks, but have hit a stumbling block on how to maintain records for private gun sales."

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn have been negotiating for weeks over a bill to require background checks for all gun purchases. "But so far, the lawmakers haven't been able to agree on how to enforce the background checks," writes Kristina Peterson of The Wall Street Journal. "Coburn has objected to a requirement for private sellers to keep a paper record of a sale. Republicans worry the records could be used to build a registry and track gun owners."

We wrote about background checks and how Democratic senators in some states are wary how their stance on the issue will affect their re-election.