(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Democrats are taking a closer look at gun loopholes and are considering legislation that could help prevent mass shootings.

Congresswoman Val Demings, a Florida Democrat who is one of the bill’s sponsors, tells ABC News that eight House Democrats have signed on to the legislation.  Demings once served as an Orlando police chief.

The bill aims to outlaw “ghost guns” — firearms that can be constructed from existing pieces that were purchased individually — as well as concealable assault rifles that fire armor-piercing ammunition.  The legislation would also boost state’s ability to enforce existing gun regulations by “requiring federal authorities to alert state and local law enforcement within 24 hours when an ineligible individual lies on a background check and tries to purchase a firearm.”

Congressman Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who represents the district where the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting killed 17 people in 2018, cosponsored the legislation.  

Deutch said the bill will “crack down on unregulated ghost guns and dangerous concealable assault rifles like the one used in the recent shooting in Boulder, prohibit bump stocks by law and boost the background checks system to notify state and local law enforcement when felons and others prohibited from purchasing a gun try to buy one.”

The Justice Department expressed interest in regulating ghost guns.

The legislation’s fate faces an uphill battle as the Democrat controlled House passed two background check bills in March, but they have been stalled in the Senate, where Republicans fiercely oppose them.

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