BBC

A bipartisan plan to expand background checks on gun buyers has failed in the US Senate, a blow to gun control plans.

The plan was blocked on a 54-46 vote, six votes short of the 60-vote hurdle needed to clear the chamber.

The proposal, put forward as an amendment to a broader gun bill, seeks to widen the current checks to include online and gun show sales.

The vote will be seen as a victory for gun rights groups, who say the checks would violate the right to bear arms.

President Barack Obama is campaigning for tighter gun laws after 26 people died in a school shooting in Connecticut in December.

The expanded system of background checks, which had been the centrepiece of the president’s agenda, was blocked by Senate Republicans and some Democrats.

Plans for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have already been removed from the gun-control bill, amid lack of political support.

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