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WASHINGTON - A Senate aide and a lobbyist say a dispute over whether to require record keeping for private gun sales is holding up a bipartisan compromise over expanding background checks for firearms transactions.

Requiring background checks for virtually all firearm sales is a keystone of President Barack Obama's proposed gun curbs. The checks are currently required only for sales at federally licensed dealers, but not private transactions at gun shows, online or elsewhere.

Two Republican and two Democratic senators have been looking for a compromise.

The aide and lobbyist say Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn, a conservative playing a leading role in the talks, is balking at requiring record keeping for private transactions. They say he is concerned it could lead to a national gun registry, which Democrats say is untrue.