Gun control bill a tough sell even to Democrats

According to an article in today's Seattle P-I, Democratic legislative leaders are predicting Senator Tom's SB5197 will finally get a vote in the Senate but will likely die in the House, where Speaker Chopp says many in his own caucus oppose it. The bill, which has often been proposed in recent years but always been bottled-up in committee, would require sellers at gun shows to conduct the same background checks as is currently required of standard gun retailers. The aim of the bill is to make sure convicted felons cannot purchase firearms using the so-called "gun show loophole," but its critics consider it government oversight of private transactions.

Personally, I'm quite surprised this bill is so controversial. While I admit that gun control is one of the issues I'm not so libertarian on (and a reason I don't quite jive with the LP), the idea seems like common sense to me. Am I wrong on this?