SALEM, OR -- It was a packed hearing Wednesday before a State Senate committee considering a new gun control bill.  Senate Bill 941 would expand background checks on all private gun sales.

Some of the most emotional testimony was from supporter Robert Alan Yule, whose wife Cindy, died after being shot at the Clackamas Town Center in December 2012.  "I'm here today for Cindy because since her death I and her stepdaughter have worked tirelessly to require background checks because they work.  It is the single best way to reduce gun violence".

SB 941 would ban felons and others with criminal backgrounds or a history of severe mental illness from buying a gun.  The Oregn Republican Party has come out strongly against the bill. Kevin Starrett with the Oregon Firearms Federation also strongly opposes the bill and testified on Wednesday.  "The bill is not intended to stop crime, but create more cost and inconvenience for gun owners in a massive registration.  There was the gunshow loophole.  Now there is the private party loophole and soon we will have the first cousin loophole."

Opponents argue requiring these bckground checks on private sales would place a big burden on gun owners.