Legislators calling on Sen. Mitch McConnell to call special session

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentuckians know Mitch McConnell as one of their  Republican senators, representing them in Washington. But across the country, he’s more commonly known as the influential senate majority leader.

Now, many Democrats are calling on him to ask legislators back to Washington to discuss background check legislation.

Ohio’s Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown was one of the first to speak up.

“I’ve called on Sen. McConnell to bring the Senate back in session,” he said. “We can pass that in one afternoon, background checks. The President of the United States could sign it that day.”

The Background Check Bill passed the House in February. It would, as its name suggests, increase securities when buying a gun.

Sen. Brown is not the only democrat speaking out, meanwhile Republicans have been a little less vocal.

Although, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-PA, said the President is willing to play ball.

1/3 This morning, @Sen_JoeManchin and I separately discussed with @realDonaldTrump our support for passing our bipartisan legislation to strengthen background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, the dangerously mentally ill, and terrorists…

— Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) August 5, 2019

Sen. McConnell, R-Ky., is working from home recovering from a shoulder fracture, but Monday afternoon he released a press release saying he is engaging with various committee chairmen about a solution.

“Senate Republicans are prepared to do our part,” he said in the release.