Reid says he won’t weaken gun background checks in U.S. Senate bill

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he won’t accept watered-down background checks as the price for pushing gun control legislation through the Senate.

The Nevada Democrat isn’t getting into specifics. But gun control advocates have worried that if Democrats are trying to declare victory on the issue, they might remove required record-keeping of gun sales from the legislation.

Advocates say that would make the bill toothless.

Reid said efforts to find the 60 Senate votes needed haven’t borne much fruit.

Reid isn’t saying when there might be a new vote. The original version was defeated in April.

Reid spoke to families from Newtown, Conn. They were in Washington, lobbying a day before the six-month anniversary of the massacre that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School.