Orlando Massacre Becomes Hot Issue In PA Senate Race

by Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Orlando massacre has created an opening for the Democratic challenger in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race on the issue of gun control.

Incumbent Pat Toomey co-sponsored a failed bill to require universal background checks for gun purchases after the mass murder of school children in Newtown, Connecticut, giving him a selling point to moderate voters.

But he helped defeat a bill, introduced after the San Bernardino mass murder, that would have banned gun sales to suspected terrorists.

Democrats are discussing reviving that latter bill in light of the Orlando mass murder and Toomey's opponent, Katie McGinty, used the opportunity to spotlight Toomey's "no" vote.

"We're mourning deaths at the hands of someone Pat Toomey voted to make sure would be allowed to buy guns," she said.

Asked how Toomey would vote if the bill were revived, his campaign forwarded a press release about terrorism, but did not provide an answer.