After mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, which resulted in the deaths of over 30 people, including 19 children, the historic court decision and Senate action on gun safety demonstrate the profound division in American opinion towards weapons.
Even as the Supreme Court significantly enlarged gun rights by deciding that Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense, a bipartisan package of modest gun safety regulations cleared the U.S. Senate late on Thursday.
The Senate measure, which was passed by a vote of 65 to 33, is the first important piece of gun control legislation to be adopted in three decades in the country with the highest per capita gun ownership rates in the world and the greatest yearly rate of mass shootings among developed nations.
After the vote, President Joe Biden stated,
This bipartisan legislation will help protect Americans. Kids in schools and communities will be safer because of it.
Republicans refused to make concessions on more comprehensive gun control laws advocated by Democrats, including Biden, such as the prohibition on assault-style guns or high-capacity magazines.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, an 80-page Senate bill, would strengthen background checks for prospective gun buyers who have been convicted of serious juvenile offences or domestic violence, and it would urge states to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
According to the non-profit research organisation, Gun Violence Archive, more than 20,800 individuals have died from gun violence in the US in 2022, including homicide and suicide.
The bill offers grants to assist states in enacting “red flag” legislation to prevent people who are considered to be a risk to themselves or others from having access to weapons. Additionally, it would allow for increased school security and finance alternative intervention strategies in states where red flag laws are rejected.
Image Credits: iStock
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