State Sen. Ginny Burdick is working on a gun-control bill that would expand Oregon's background checks to include sales between private individuals.

"The whole idea is to keep guns out of the wrong hands without interfering with the legitimate rights of gun owners," Burdick said Monday in an interview with The Oregonian. The Portland Democrat also backs three other controversial gun-control measures.

Burdick's proposal faces opposition from gun-rights groups that say it would unfairly burden gun owners while doing nothing to reduce gun violence.

"Mass murderers don't undergo background checks," said Kevin Starrett, who heads the Oregon Firearms Federation. He noted that the gunmen in the Newtown, Conn. and Clackamas mall shootings in December both obtained their weapons illegally.

However, Burdick and Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, say Oregon's existing background checks routinely prohibit sales to people who are not legally allowed to possess guns -- and that they believe most gun owners are not opposed to expanding background checks.

"There seems to be a growing consensus that this is the way to go," said Burdick, noting that President Barack Obama has also

on all gun sales.

The federal government already requires background checks for anyone purchasing firearms from federally licensed dealers. In addition, six states have mandated background checks on all gun sales, including those only involving private individuals.

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Four states require them on all purchases at gun shows, including Oregon, as the result of a 2000 ballot initiative sponsored by Burdick.

Federal law prohibits anyone

from possessing a firearm. Some people with a history of mental illness may also be barred from purchases.

Last year, the Oregon State Police – working through a federal database – conducted nearly 260,000 background checks. About 3,500 – or 1.3 percent of the total – of the proposed purchases were denied, according to Lt. Gregg Hastings, a state police spokesman.

Hastings said he could not provide any figures on how many private gun transactions occur in the state. However, the Obama administration said that studies nationally estimated that as many as 40 percent of all transactions are not covered by existing background checks.

Burdick is also sponsoring legislation that would ban gun magazines with more than 10 rounds and that would prohibit concealed handgun licensees from carrying their guns into schools. She also backs legislation to ban semi-automatic rifles classified as assault weapons.

Starrett complained that Oregon's existing system is already riddled with problems. He said he frequently hears from would-be gun purchasers who are put in limbo for weeks because they can't get a quick answer from the state police.

Hastings said the state police agency "wants to get them done as quickly as possible" but needs to make sure the state doesn't allow sales to a prohibited person. He said the state police completed all but 3.5 percent of checks within five minutes in 2012, compared to 5 percent the year before.

Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has been skeptical of Burdick's gun-control proposals. But he said that expanding background checks isn't as controversial as new curbs on what kinds of guns can be legally purchased.

"I'm willing to look at everything," said Barker, adding that he would prefer that the state focus on enforcing current laws.

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