Although a universal background check on gun purchases went down to defeat in the Senate last April, gun-control advocates in the Tampa Bay area are now pinning their hopes for a passage of a similar bill that has been introduced in the House and currently has more than 150 co-sponsors.
On Wednesday night, a small group of the bill's supporters held a vigil outside of the Brandon Regional Service Center before Polk County Congressman Dennis Ross spoke at a town hall meeting.
In the meeting, Hillsborough County resident Matt Riegel asked Ross if he supported H.R. 1565, sponsored by California Democrat Mike Thompson and New York Republican Peter King.
This article appears in Jul 4-10, 2013.