Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), who once spearheaded an unsuccessful bipartisan agreement to strengthen gun laws, said Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would expand background checks on firearm purchases, giving a jolt to gun-control efforts in the wake of last week’s mass shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead and left scores injured.
“It does feel like we have a shot at getting a little bit of momentum on background checks,” Toomey said in an interview with The Washington Post, after the long holiday weekend when he spoke by phone with several senators. “We’re going to take a swing at that and I’m hoping we’ll be able to do it.”