Gun measures clear US Senate panel
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E-mail Xinhua, March 13, 2013
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved two measures to curb gun violence, including one that would expand background checks to gun purchases.
The committee passed the measure by 10 to 8, with no Republican on the committee voting for it. It would require background checks for transactions between private individuals. Background checks are now mandatory only for sales by licensed gun dealers.
The second measure to clear the panel was the renewal of a grant program to help schools improve their security procedures. It increased the financing to 40 million dollars per year from 30 million, and creates a task force in the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to develop advisory school safety guidelines. It passed 14 to 4.
The two measures passed after the Judiciary Committee passed a bill cracking down on illegal gun trafficking and straw purchases of firearms. The bills are now headed to the Senate floor for a full vote. The committee also would vote on the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban in the coming days.
