In the aftermath of the Uvalde School shooting, a bipartisan group of senators stated Sunday that they had reached an agreement on a framework for modest gun legislation aimed at hardening schools, increasing mental health resources, and helping states with “red flag” laws.
Here’s what U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted on Sunday:
“We have a deal, Today a bipartisan group of 20 Senators (10 D and 10 R) is announcing a breakthrough agreement on gun violence – the first in 20 years – that will save lives. I think you’ll be surprised at the scope of our framework.”
The idea falls well short of the stricter measures that Joe Biden and many Democrats have long desired. Even still, if the agreement leads to legislation, it would mark a shift from years of gun atrocities that have resulted in little but gridlock in Congress.
Leaders hope to have an agreement signed into law as soon as this month, before the political momentum generated by the recent mass killings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, subsides.
According to Murphy and other senators, the bipartisan deal would:
- Provide funding for mental health resources
- Increase school safety and grants for states to implement “red flag” laws that allow authorities to confiscate guns from people deemed to be dangerous;
- Expand the FBI background check system to include juvenile records for any prospective gun buyer under the age of 21;
- Close the so-called boyfriend loophole to prohibit dating partners — not just spouses — from owning guns if they had been convicted of domestic violence.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was among the negotiators, and he issued a joint statement expressing his support for the agreement.
The joint statement said:
“Our plan saves lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. We look forward to earning broad, bipartisan support and passing our commonsense proposal into law.”
The National Rifle Association has traditionally opposed “red flag” laws, but its senior lobbyist Chris Cox released a video earlier this year signaling possible support for risk protection orders, which are a fundamental component of such laws.
“This can help prevent violent behavior before it turns into a tragedy,” Cox said in March.
On Sunday, the NRA announced that it will wait for the final legislation before making a decision:
“The NRA is committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities. We encourage our elected officials to provide more resources to secure our schools, fix to our severely broken mental health system and support law enforcement,” the gun lobby said.
“As is our policy, the NRA does not take positions on ‘frameworks’. We will make our position known when the full text of the bill is available for review,” it added.
Will the final product get even more then 10 Rs?
This statement from @LeaderMcConnell — while not an endorsement — is pretty positive.
No doubt members of his conference will watch McConnell’s words and actions closely on this. pic.twitter.com/Y4Zcu0X7HH
— Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) June 12, 2022
Sources: Conservativebrief, Kutv, Theohiostar