A bipartisan group of US senators on Sunday proposed steps to reduce gun violence following two fatal shootings in Texas and New York, but the proposed measures are limited and smaller than what President Joe Biden has called for.
Pressure on politicians to take action to limit the purchase and possession of guns intensified after two shootings in May: one at an elementary school in Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers, and the other at a grocery store in New York, in which resulted in the death of 10 people.
And Republican members of Congress, who have repeatedly blocked tougher measures, continue to reject major changes to gun laws, arguing instead that mental health issues are at the root of the problem.
But the new proposals have the backing of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate, which means there’s a good chance of getting the 60-vote majority needed to get into the 100-seat House.
Proposed reforms include stricter background checks on gun buyers under the age of 21, increased government resources to prevent guns from falling into the hands of people deemed dangerous, and adding convicted domestic abusers and restraining orders to the national buyer background check database. weapons.
“Today we are announcing a logical bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the risk of violence in our nation,” the Senate Democratic-Republican group said in a statement.
“Our plan increases critical mental health resources, improves school safety, supports students, and helps ensure that dangerous criminals and people diagnosed with mental illness cannot buy guns,” she added.
Biden praised the proposals and urged lawmakers to quickly turn them into laws while criticizing their limitations.
“Obviously it doesn’t include everything that I think is necessary, but it does include important steps in the right direction, and it will be the most important arms control law passed by Congress in decades,” Biden said in a statement regarding the proposal. .
“With bipartisan support, there is no excuse for delay and no reason not to act quickly in the Senate and House of Representatives.”
Two prominent members of the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell, support the efforts of the parties, noting that the proposals can be approved in the Senate.
The president is pushing for more fundamental reforms, including a ban on the sale of machine guns used in the May attacks.
He also called on lawmakers to ban high-capacity cartridge combs and introduce requirements for the safe storage of firearms.
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a wide range of proposals, including raising the age for buying most semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.
But the party doesn’t have the 60 votes needed to get it into the Senate, making a bipartisan agreement the only hope for federal action to combat gun violence.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed the agreement in the Senate, saying that while more measures are needed, including universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity combs, “this package will take steps to save lives.”
The repeated mass shootings have sparked widespread outrage in the United States, where most people support tougher gun laws, but opposition from many lawmakers and Republican voters has long been a stumbling block to major change.
Strongly opposed to the tightening is the National Rifle Association, weakened by scandals and sued by the New York State Attorney General, but still wielding considerable influence.
“The media, left-wing politicians and gun-hating activists are intimidating NRA members and gun owners because they want us to surrender. We will not bow,” the association tweeted on Saturday.
On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets across the United States calling for action on gun violence that has killed more than 19,400 people in the country this year (more than half of them by suicide), according to Gann Finance. Archive”.
“The will of the American people is being undermined by a minority,” protester Cynthia Martins, 63, said during a rally in the US capital on Saturday.