Maine Senate sets aside bill on background checks for gun shows

AUGUSTA (AP) — A gun-control bill calling for background checks at gun shows has been temporarily set aside.

The bill scheduled for debate Tuesday was tabled and could be taken up again as soon as Wednesday. It would require that a national instant criminal background check be performed prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm at a gun show. The bill would require gun show operators to post signs at gun shows to notify exhibitors of the background check requirement. Failure to perform a background check could result in a $2,500 fine, not $10,000 as initially proposed.

Several gun safety bills surfaced early in the session in the wake of last December’s massacre at a school in Newtown, Conn.