WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate’s No. 2 Republican is introducing legislation that would reward states for sending more information about residents with serious mental problems to the federal background check system for firearms purchasers.
And he’s doing it with the National Rifle Association’s support.
The bill by Texas Sen. John Cornyn is far more modest than a Senate measure expanding background check requirements that the NRA and Republicans helped kill in 2013.
The new measure represents a rare effort by a leading Republican to curb some firearms purchases. The NRA has been a leading force against gun restrictions, but it has backed some bills to limit the ability of people with mental problems to buy firearms.
Cornyn’s bill follows recent shootings that have drawn attention to weaknesses in the background check system.