WASHINGTON A bipartisan trio of senators urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to expand background checks on gun purchases in a roughly 40-minute conference call they described as productive and very encouraging.

However, Trump didnt indicate on the call any preference for legislative proposals toward curbing gun violence and said the lawmakers should be able to hear back from his staff tomorrow on the path forward, according to Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), one of the senators who participated in the call.

Trump has expressed interest in gun control proposals in the past, often immediately following a horrific mass shooting, only to reverse himself days later.

The discussion with the president focused on expanding background checks on gun purchases conducted via commercial sales including Internet sales and gun shows but not private sales. The House earlier this year passed a universal background check bill toughening federal scrutiny on all gun purchases, but it has faced stiff opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Manchin, along with Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the other two senators on the call, have played key roles in crafting gun control legislation in Congress in recent years.

Toomey told reporters afterward that Trump didnt offer any commitments on what proposals he could support and that the timeline on moving forward could slip into next week.