Gun Bill Will Be Taken Up After Senate Recess

WASHINGTON - The Senate plans to begin debating a package of gun regulations next month when it returns from its Easter recess, said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. Mr. Reid began procedural motions late Thursday on a bill that seeks to enhance background checks for those who purchase guns, and to curb gun trafficking and increase money for school safety.

“The bill I advance tonight will serve as the basis for opening debate,” he said in a prepared statement. “Once debate begins, I will ensure that a ban on assault weapons, limits to high-capacity magazines, and mental health provisions receive votes, along with other amendments. 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.”

The biggest question mark in the bill remains the background check component, which groups concerned with gun safety believe is the most important issue for Congress to consider to help stem gun violence.

For many weeks, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, negotiated a measure that would expand background checks to nearly all gun purchases, roughly 40 percent of which are not subject to them now, according to numerous studies. The measure would also strengthen penalties against states that fail to keep their background reporting systems current.

But Mr. Coburn pulled out of the negotiation because he did not agree with Mr. Schumer and the majority of law enforcement agencies and other groups that believe that private sales must include records, similar to those kept by gun stores. As for now, the bill will include a background check measure from last year that is more strenuous than the one Mr. Schumer was pursuing with several Republicans; he hopes to substitute it later with one that would be more attractive to Republicans.

“I hope negotiations will continue over the upcoming break to reach a bipartisan compromise on background checks, and I am hopeful that they will succeed,” Mr. Reid said. “If a compromise is reached, I am open to including it in the base bill. But I want to be clear: in order to be effective, any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks.”