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Spending Bill May Include Tougher Background Checks For Gun Purchases

Congress has until Friday to pass a new spending bill, or the country will face another government shutdown.
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Congress is finalizing a spending bill that has legislation intended to bolster background checks for gun purchases. That's what a source told The Hill.

The bipartisan Fix National Instant Criminal Background System Act, or Fix NICS, aims to encourage authorities to report more data to the vetting system more often.

Some Democrats support Fix NICS but say it doesn't go far enough. The Hill reports the bill doesn't include any new gun control measures.

Efforts to strengthen gun laws have ramped up since 17 people died in the February high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. A U.S. official told CNN the suspect in that shooting passed a background check.

Congress has until late Friday to pass a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill to finance the government through September, or it'll face another shutdown.

President Donald Trump reportedly supports the bill.