Joe Biden
President Joe Biden has signed into law Saturday a bipartisan bill to address gun violence.
CNN reports the bill amounts to the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades and marks a significant bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in Washington.
The House on Friday passed the bill by 234 to 193, including 14 Republicans voting with Democrats. The Senate passed the bill in a late-night vote Thursday.
The measure includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, a victory for Democrats, who have long fought for that.
The package represents the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994 — though it fails to ban any weapons and falls far short of what Democrats and polls show most Americans want to see.
Securing a bipartisan agreement on major gun legislation has been notoriously difficult for lawmakers in recent years even in the face of countless mass shootings across the country.
Democrats in particular have been quick to celebrate the bipartisan gun deal since action to address gun violence is a major priority for the party.
It came one day after the Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law enacted more than a century ago that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home.
The rulings once again highlight the limited power of the Democratic party, despite it controlling both branches of Congress and the White House.
Leave a Reply