Reid unveils outline of gun bill

• Bill will include controversial language on background checks
• Reid hopes talks may achieve compromise that would replace his background check language
• Assault weapons ban will get a vote%2C but will not be in the bill

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that after the congressional recess, he will bring to the Senate floor a gun-violence bill that will include measures to expand background checks for gun purchases, strengthen trafficking laws and improve school safety.

Reid acknowledged that the background-check language he is including in the bill could change in the final product.

The current background-check language, authored by Sen. Charles Schumer, is serving as a place holder while the New York Democrat – along with Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill. – continue to negotiate a compromise with Republicans.

Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma had initially been part of the negotiations, but he dropped out after the group could not come to an agreement over a requirement for private gun sellers to keep a record of their sales – a provision opposed by the National Rifle Association.

Reid said in a statement he is "hopeful" that negotiations will be successful over the two-week break.

"If a compromise is reached, I am open to including it in the base bill," Reid said. "But I want to be clear: in order to be effective, any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks."

The other two provisions in the gun-violence bill – increasing the penalty for trafficking firearms and expanding grants for school safety – are largely non-controversial and were approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support.

Reid added that once debate on the bill begins, he will "ensure" that votes occur on a ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and mental health provisions.

"In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for all of these provisions to receive votes, and I will ensure that they do," he said.

Reid created an uproar among supporters of stricter gun regulations Tuesday when he told reporters the assault weapons ban simply did not have enough support to be part of his broader gun bill.