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U.S. Senators have reached a bipartisan gun safety agreement as part of efforts to stem the tide of increasing mass shootings across schools and other public places. Following the successfully agreement, Senators face a broad challenge of writing legislation that would get 60 votes to become law.
Senators are expected to release a bipartisan gun safety
framework on Sunday, Politico quoted multiple people familiar with the
negotiation. The agreement is a significant breakthrough in Congress’ attempts
to address recent back-to-back mass shootings especially the Uvalde school mass
shooting in Texas that saw the deaths of 19 school children and two of their
teachers in cold blood.
The agreement would entail extra scrutiny for gun buyers
under the age of 21, grants to states to implement so-called red flag laws and
new spending on mental health treatment and school security, Politico reports.
Senators are expected to announce that a significant number of lawmakers in
both the Democratic Party and the GOP are behind the proposal to put an end to
rising gun violence.
According to Politico, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), John
Cornyn (R-Texas), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are the
lead negotiators on the proposal.
In the last three weeks several meetings on securing support
for gun control laws had been held following the deadly mass shooting at an
elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Some notable Senators involved in the talks
are Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.),
Chris Coons (D-Del.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.),
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), according to Politico.
According to the proposal, gun buyers 21 and younger would
be subjected to scrutiny of their criminal and mental health records as
juveniles. But this may require some hurdle to overcome since each state has
different laws governing juvenile records.
The provisions on red flag laws allow law enforcement to
seek temporary removal of firearms from an individual who is a threat to
himself or others. The proposal would also close “boyfriend loophole” by
broadening firearms restrictions on those who have abused their romantic
partners.
The proposal also aims to crack down on straw purchasers and
illegal unlicensed firearm dealers, Politico quoted a summary of the agreement.
Despite how interesting the framework looks, translating it
into an actual bill is an odious task considering the different laws on gun
control on a state by state level.
No fewer than 10 people were killed at a supermarket in
Buffalo, New York, just one week before the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas
which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.