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A proposal for gun safety legislation was announced by a bipartisan group of senators on Sunday, June 12.
The deal is supported by 10 Republicans, meaning it has sufficient support to overrule the Senate filibuster. This is a significant agreement in terms of gun legislation, which is such a divisive issue for lawmakers.
David Hogg, the co-founder of March for Our Lives, tweeted that "Today a bipartisan group of 20 Senators (10 D and 10 R) is announcing a breakthrough agreement on gun violence—the first in 30 years. Told you this time is different".
According to the senators that drafted the proposal, the deal "improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those who are adjudicated as mentally ill can't purchase weapons".
What Is the Bipartisan Gun Deal?
The deal is only in principle, as it has not been legislatively drafted yet. Nonetheless, it includes a wide range of policies that would restrict gun ownership.
These measures include
- enhanced background checks on those under 21 years old
- allocating more funds to school security
- allocating more funds for mental health services, including suicide prevention programs
- grants for states to implement "Red Flag" laws
This framework came together following the Uvalde tragedy, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.
Specifically, the funds for further school security would be "to help institute safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools". This is a particularly important area after reports that Texas law officials took over an hour to stop Ramos.
Who Are the Bipartisan Group Lawmakers?
The full list of the bipartisan group lawmakers can be found below:
Republican Senators:
- Roy Blunt, Missouri
- Richard Burr, North Carolina
- Rob Portman, Ohio
- Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania
- John Cornyn, Texas
- Thom Tillis, North Carolina
- Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
- Susan Collins, Maine
- Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
- Mitt Romney, Utah
Democratic Senators:
- Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona
- Mark Kelly, Arizona
- Chris Murphy, Connecticut
- Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut
- Cory Booker, New Jersey
- Chris Coons, Delaware
- Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
- Joe Manchin, West Virginia
- Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
- Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats
The Republican and Democratic senators who drew up the proposal issued a joint statement on Sunday announcing the agreement.
"Today, we are announcing a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America's children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country," the statement reads.
What Is Included in the Bipartisan Gun Deal?
A range of things are included in the deal such as resources for state "Red Flag" laws, investment in mental health, investment in school security as well as more comprehensive background checks for anyone under 21.
The deal also covers punishing those who illegally straw purchase and traffic guns. It would also add convicted domestic violence abusers and those subject to domestic violence restraining orders to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Notably, a few measures that have been previously discussed are missing, such as raising the minimum age at which someone can own and purchase a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21.
The House of Representatives approved legislation last week in favor of raising the age to purchase a military-style rifle, like the one used in Uvalde, Texas, to 21. While the measure passed with some Republican support, it faces an uncertain future in the evenly divided Senate.
