Susan Collins

A scrum of reporters gathered outside Sen. Joe Manchin's office Tuesday afternoon waiting for any sign of movement on his embattled background checks amendment while inside he met privately with negotiating partner Sen. Pat Toomey and former Rep. Gabby...

WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders reflected with grief on the tragic loss of life in the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday, but had few immediate answers as to the nature of the attack. The flag over the U.S. Capitol was at half staff and...

WASHINGTON -- A Senate plan to expand the background-check requirement for gun purchases faced a narrowing path to success Tuesday, as advocates for stricter laws sought to scrape together the last few votes they need from among a dwindling number of...

WASHINGTON – One of the senators behind the compromise proposal to expand background checks on gun purchases will mount a Senate floor sales pitch Monday, part of a lobbying effort to ensure passage for the key piece of a larger guns bill when it...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin III owns two 12-gauge Beretta shotguns, a semiautomatic Remington 58 Sportsman and a deer rifle. Since he was elected to the Senate two years ago, he has easily maintained an A rating from the National Rifle Assn....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of a bipartisan Senate effort to subject more firearms buyers to background checks remains uncertain as seven Republicans amenable to a gun control debate are still likely to resist such an expansion. On an initial...

WASHINGTON — In a lopsided vote, the Senate launched a debate Thursday over the most significant gun legislation in more than a decade, setting up a contest that could last weeks between reinvigorated advocates for stricter laws and conservatives...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama hosted Republican senators at the White House Wednesday evening, with dinner conversation including the deficit, gun control and immigration. A White House official characterized their discussion over steak...

It’s been nearly three years since Chicago police Officer Thomas Wortham IV was shot and killed with a gun purchased in Mississippi by a straw purchaser -- a person who buys guns for those who aren't allowed to. But on Friday, his sister Sandra...

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday to combat gun trafficking, the first firearms measure since the Newtown, Conn., shooting to move to consideration by the full Senate. The proposal, steered by committee...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan deal seems imminent on expanding background checks to more gun buyers, an agreement that could build support for President Barack Obama's drive to curb firearms violence. Meanwhile, the Senate is ready for an opening...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate may begin voting as soon as Thursday on legislation intended to reduce gun violence, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) decided Tuesday to initiate the procedural steps required to overcome a threatened filibuster by...