The bipartisan deal, which will be offered as the first amendment to the maingun bill, would require all people buying firearms online and at gun shows to undergo a background check through a licensed dealer, who would be required to keep a paper record of the sale.
The BBC's Tomas Fessy, in Gao, says Sunday's gun battle appears to have started around the main police station in the town centre, but there is now heavy gunfire coming from different areas.