The United States Senate has begun debate a proposed law to expand criminal background checks on gun buyers.  Although the polls say most Americans want this, a handful of conservatives vow to stand in the way.

Senators voted 68-31 to thwart a procedural move called the “filibuster”, in which a minority group of lawmakers holds the floor and jawbones until one side or the other gives up.

This is the furthest that gun control legislation has gone since the Assault Weapons ban of 1994, an effective law that kept military weapons out of the hands of criminals.  That law lapsed under the Bush administration when conservative republicans ran both houses of Congress.

The proposal under debate right now would expand criminal background checks to online and gun show sales, establish a commission on mass violence, and ease some restrictions on transporting guns across state lines.

Most observers believe it is the best chance for new gun control legislation, though it falls short of the far stricter measures backed by the White House and the American people.