The US Senate approved a bipartisan gun violence bill that was lawmakers’ most far-reaching response in decades to mass shootings. The vote ...
The US Senate approved a bipartisan gun violence bill that was lawmakers’ most far-reaching response in decades to mass shootings. The vote on final passage was 65-33, and it was five more than needed 60 votes. 15 Senate Republicans joined with all 50 Democrats in voting to pass the legislation.
The president, Joe Biden, stated “Our kids in schools and our communities will be safer because of this legislation. I call on Congress to finish the job and get this bill to my desk,” Biden said.
The bill would prevent youngest gun buyers, and it would help authorities to take firearms from people who seem to be dangerous. It would also fund local programs such as school safety, mental health and violence prevention.
Senate action came one month after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde. Just days before that, a white man was accused of being motivated by racism as he killed 10 Black grocery shoppers in Buffalo. Both shooters were 18 years old, a youthful profile shared by many mass shooters, and the close timing of the two slaughters and victims with whom many could identify stirred a demand by voters for action, lawmakers of both parties said.
The bill would make the local juvenile records of people aged 18 to 20 available during required federal background checks when they attempt to buy guns. Those examinations, currently limited to three days, would last up to a maximum of 10 days to give federal and local officials time to search records. People convicted of domestic abuse who are current or former romantic partners of the victim would be prohibited from acquiring firearms, closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole”. That ban currently only applies to people married to, living with or who have had children with the victim. The compromise bill would extend that to those considered to have had “a continuing serious relationship”.
The measure expands the use of background checks by rewriting the definition of the federally licensed gun dealers required to conduct them. Penalties for gun trafficking are strengthened, billions of dollars are provided for behavioral health clinics and school mental health programs, and there is money for school safety initiatives, though not for personnel to use a “dangerous weapon”.
Some comments about bipartisan gun violence bill
“This is not a cure-all for all the ways gun violence affects our nation. But it is a long-overdue step in the right direction. Passing this gun safety bill is truly significant, and it’s going to save lives.” - Senator Chuck Schumer
“The American people want their constitutional rights protected and their kids to be safe in school. They want both of those things at once, and that is just what the bill before the Senate will have accomplished.” - Senator Mitch McConnell
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