Lawmakers in the U.S. state of New Mexico are considering a proposal that will require criminal background checks of people buying firearms from private sellers, including at gun shows, local media reported Monday.

The state's House Judiciary Committee is scheduled Monday to discuss the legislation by Democratic Rep. Miguel Garcia, according to the news website KOB.com.

The bill would mandate that background checks be done by the state Department of Public Safety before firearm sales are completed, except for those purchases made from licensed gun dealers. Those who buy from licensed dealers already must disclose background information to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

U.S. federal law requires background checks for sales by licensed dealers in stores or at gun shows. However, the law doesn 't cover firearm sales between private individuals.

Garcia contends that more background checks will prevent sales of guns to people prohibited from buying firearms, including individuals with a history of mental ill or those convicted of crimes.

The debate over gun control comes following a Connecticut school shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, including 20 school children in December last year, and after a New Mexico teenager fatally shot his parents and three siblings.

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