Pistols and rifles that have been turned in at a gun buyback event are viewed at the Bridgeport Police Department's Community Services Division on December 22, 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo: Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A bipartisan group of senators has reached a deal on legislation that would for the first time create specific federal prohibitions on gun trafficking and the straw purchasing of firearms.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy says the bill would establish tough penalties for those who buy a firearm or ammunition with the intent of transferring it to someone else. The measure also would make it a crime to smuggle firearms out of the United States.
The bill was crafted by Leahy, two other Democrats and two Republicans and will be part of a package of four gun control measures that will be considered Thursday by the Judiciary Committee. The committee has taken the lead on the gun violence issue following the December school shootings in Newtown, Conn.
The Associated Press