WASHINGTON — Spurred by the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade, Senate Democrats made plans to hold votes next month on House-passed measures to expand criminal background checks prior to gun purchases.
Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing the day after a gunman killed 19 students and two adults at a Texas elementary school, said there would likely be a floor vote on those bills after the chamber’s Memorial Day break.
“It’s too late to prevent the last shooting. We’ve already failed those victims and families,” Durbin, the committee chairman, said Wednesday. “We need to act to prevent the next shooting. We need to identify the risks and threats and finally do something.”
