RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Days after two journalists were fatally shot during a live broadcast at a Virginia resort, several Democratic legislators have produced a petition with nearly 28,000 signatures supporting expanded background checks for gun buyers. The northern Virginia lawmakers unveiled the petition Thursday at a news conference in Arlington, signaling a likely push for universal background checks in the next legislative session. Currently, private sales _ including those conducted at gun shows _ are not subject to background checks. However, even the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 did not lead to tighter gun laws. To the contrary, lawmakers have worked to loosen gun regulations _ including the repeal of Virginia’s one-handgun-a-month purchase limit in 2012.
