Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will bring gun control legislation to the floor that includes a controversial expansion of background checks for private firearm sales.

Reid said he would on Thursday evening begin the process of bringing legislation to the floor for consideration in April.

“Later tonight, I will start the process of bringing a bill to reduce gun violence to the Senate floor. This bill will include the provisions on background checks, school safety and gun trafficking reported by the Judiciary Committee,” Reid said. [Read more…]

By Paul Kane, Published: March 21

Gun control will be the first order of business in the Senate when lawmakers return in April from their two-week holiday break.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) 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.

While it will not include a ban on assault weapons — Reid said Tuesday that proposal has less than 40 Senate votes behind it — the package will include provisions for a universal background check system, stricter federal criminal laws for gun trafficking and provisions to improve school safety. [Read more…]