In the wake of all the deadly mass shootings, President Joe Biden on Saturday (June 25) signed into law the first major and most significant United States federal gun control bill passed in nearly 30 years.
“God willing, it’s going to save a lot of lives,” the president said at the White House as he signed the bill with the First Lady Jill Biden by his side.
The bill — titled the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” includes:
- Tougher background checks for young buyers.
- $15 billion in federal funding for mental health programs and school security upgrades.
- Funding to encourage states to implement “red flag” laws to remove firearms from people considered a threat.
- Closing the “boyfriend loophole” by banning all those convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun – not just those who are married to their victims or live with them.
“While this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives,” Biden said. “Today, we say more than ‘enough.’ We say more than enough. This time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.”
In May, there were two mass shootings. One at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and another at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which left a total of 31 people dead. The gunman in the Texas shooting reportedly purchased two semi-automatic rifles days after he turned 18.
The bill was released by Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. The new legislation is very significant because it is the first time in decades that the reform has received support from both Democrats and Republicans. The efforts to strengthen United States gun laws have historically been blocked by the Republican party.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) opposed the bill, arguing that it would not stop the violence.