This week is seen as a make or break week in the U.S. Senate for additional gun control following the Newtown tragedy, and West Virginia U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is in the middle of a possible deal. While U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller says the Senate needs to push for additional background checks.
Politico capitol bureau chief John Bresnahan said Manchin is talking with Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, an NRA-backed Republican, about an agreement.
“If they can (get an agreement) the Senate will move on that. If they can’t the Senate is going to move on a Democratic only bill that’s probably not going to pass,” Bresnahan predicted during an appearance Monday on MetroNews Talkline. “So this is a big week for the President (Obama) and a big week for those pushing gun control measures.”
Manchin and others are looking at expanding background checks for private transactions, including gun shows. Bresnahan said supporters have been trying to find what’s been called the “sweet spot” for a compromise.
“Something that will get some conservative Republicans and keep the NRA at bay. That way they they can move forward,” Bresnahan said. that’s why Manchin’s talks with Toomey are so important.
“Clearly Senator Manchin is very earnest on this, but I just think it’s a hard time for any conservative Republican to sign-on on this. There will be a lot of pressure from the NRA, a lot of pressure from the right,” Bresnahan said.
In a release issued Monday morning, Rockefeller stated he believes the 1994 ban on some assault weapons and high-capacity magazines should be re-enacted. He also said an agreement to expand background checks is a necessity.
“We know, beyond any doubt, that right now in America there are too many ways for criminals and the mentally ill to buy guns, especially at gun shows – and we know how to fix it,” Rockefeller said.
“This does not mean gun owners would be placed on a registry. What it does mean is that those who want to do people harm shouldn’t be allowed to avoid background checks by going to gun shows. Period. And we all have a shared responsibility to just put an end to that.”
The senator added the grief from Newtown should not go away but should be the rallying cry “that drives us to make fair and meaningful progress toward gun safety.”