Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is echoing Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) in his conviction that there is still hope for this latest push in gun control legislation, despite signs from President Donald Trump that the effort has reached its cyclical end.
According to a Politico report, Toomey said that based on a conversation he had with Trump late last week, Trump was still “very interested” in background check legislation like his and Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV).
Toomey, like Murphy, admitted that having high hopes about gun control legislation is often a fool’s errand.
“Fundamentally, [it’s] a difficult task. That being said, the chances are looking better than they have ever looked at any time, certainly, since Sen. Manchin and I first pushed for Manchin-Toomey back in 2013,” Toomey told Politico.
The legislation would expand background checks to all commercial purchases and close the gun show loophole.
Murphy cited background checks to reporters specifically last week, when he said that the White House was still on board.