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Democratic senators push for stronger background checks for gun purchases

Erin Kelly
USA TODAY
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats vowed Thursday to push for stronger background check laws for gun purchases in the wake of last week's mass shooting at an Oregon community college.

Nine people were killed at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., on Oct. 1 by a gunman who killed himself after being wounded by police. The shooting has prompted calls for action by the victims' families and friends, but the Republican majority in Congress has so far opposed any new restrictions on gun buyers.

Acknowledging that it's not yet possible to pass stricter gun laws, Democrats said they are appealing to Americans to pressure lawmakers to act in the months ahead. Previous efforts have failed in the aftermath of other mass shootings.

"We're here to start a national movement," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who was governor when a gunman killed 32 people in a rampage at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Kaine joined about 30 other Democratic senators at a news conferences on the Capitol steps to outline a package of tougher gun laws. Supporters included Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.

The issue underscores a key difference between Democratic and Republican candidates. While Sanders and fellow Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have called for stricter background check laws, Republican presidential candidates have largely opposed them.

GOP candidate Ben Carson made headlines earlier this week when he said, "I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away."

Ben Carson suggests more people should be armed

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said that "people are going to slip through the cracks" of the mental health system, regardless of background check laws.

The Democratic senators' first proposal calls for closing a loophole that allows people to buy guns online and at gun shows without undergoing the background checks that are required at big retail stores and small gun shops.

A second change would ensure that people are not allowed to buy guns without a completed background check. In some states, gun buyers can take their firearms home from the store while waiting for a background check to be finished.

People convicted of domestic abuse — whether against a spouse or someone they are dating — would be banned from buying guns. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has already introduced a bill that would expand the definition of a domestic abuser to include stalkers and abusers who target their dating partners.

The Democrats also proposed making it a federal crime to be a "straw buyer" who purchases a gun for someone who is not legally allowed to have a firearm. The senators also want to strengthen penalties for illegal gun trafficking across state lines.

"The victims and their families deserve better than a Congress that shrugs its shoulders and waits for the next tragedy," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., as he spoke about the Umpqua Community College shooting. "They deserve action."

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