WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate sponsor of a defeated compromise on expanding gun sale background checks says he'll consider changing the measure to add people on the government's terror list to those forbidden from owning firearms.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he's trying to find enough votes to push an altered background check measure through the Senate. Senators rejected it last week.

Manchin told reporters Tuesday that following last week's bombing in Boston, he might add language forbidding terrorists from getting guns. He said adding that category might make senators more comfortable with his bill.

It was unclear which list Manchin was talking about. The government has investigated hundreds of thousands of people for terrorist ties, though not all are guilty and only a few are on a "no-fly" list.