It has taken years of mass shootings—22 over a decade ending in 374 deaths, according to The Associated Press—but GOP legislators are finally bending enough to attempt some measure of progress on gun safety after years of blocked gun control measures. Legislators announced on Sunday that Senate negotiations have resulted in a bipartisan deal supported by 10 Republicans, 10 Democrats, and President Joe Biden. With Democratic majorities already in both chambers of Congress, the added GOP support represents enough backing to push the measure through Congress despite filibuster rules.
Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted on Sunday that it is the first agreement of its kind in 30 years and it includes "major funding to help states pass and implement crisis intervention orders (red flag laws) that will allow law enforcement to temporarily take dangerous weapons away from people who pose a danger to others or themselves."
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Murphy continued that the agreement includes:
“Billions in new funding for mental health and school safety, including money for the national build out of community mental health clinics.”
It closes the ‘boyfriend loophole’, “so that no domestic abuser - a spouse OR a serious dating partner - can buy a gun if they are convicted of abuse against their partner,” Murphy wrote. And it would be the “first ever federal law against gun trafficking and straw purchasing.”
“This will be a difference making tool to stop the flow of illegal guns into cities.”
The agreement includes enhanced background checks for those under 21-years-old and for younger buyers, as well as what Murphy calls a "short pause to conduct the check."
Murphy ultimately concluded in his Twitter thread:
“Will this bill do everything we need to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic? No. But it’s real, meaningful progress. And it breaks a 30 year log jam, demonstrating that Democrats and Republicans can work together in a way that truly saves lives.”
Biden said in a media statement that the agreement is not as comprehensive as he would like, “but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”
The president added:
“With bipartisan support, there are no excuses for delay, and no reason why it should not quickly move through the Senate and the House. Each day that passes, more children are killed in this country: the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.”
