White House reportedly circulating possible background check proposal on Capitol Hill

The White House is reportedly circulating a memo on Capitol Hill detailing a possible proposal to expand background checks for gun sales.

In this Jan. 9, 2016, file photo, a customer looks at a SIG Sauer hand gun at a gun show held by Florida Gun Shows in Miami. [File photo: AP via IC/Lynne Sladky]

Several U.S. media outlets reported the move on Wednesday.

The memo proposes expanding background checks to all advertised commercial sales, including sales at gun shows.

If someone who attempts to buy a firearm fails a background check, it would be reported to law enforcement officials, according to the memo.

In this past summer, several mass shootings claimed scores of lives in the United States, bringing back public attention to the nation's gun violence epidemic.

The White House and Congressional Democrats, however, remain divided over what actions should be taken.

Attorney General William Barr, whose department had drafted the memo, said on Wednesday that he spoke to President Donald Trump and that the president "has not made any firm decision on any particular proposal at this stage."

A spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, a gun rights advocacy group, on Wednesday called the proposal a "non-starter."

There have been 40,331 gun violence-related incidents in the United States this year as of Wednesday, killing a total of 10,681 people, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.