In the first major piece of federal gun reform in almost three decades, the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Thursday night to address gun violence in the country.
In a surprising move, 15 Republicans joined Democrats in support of the bill passed with a majority of 65 to 33. The bill will now go to the House for a vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
What is the provision in the law?
The bill comes with a $ 13.2 billion price tag and it includes millions of dollars for school safety, mental health, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Every state in the US will have the opportunity for grants to help pay for crisis intervention programs, regardless of whether they set up “red flag” laws that allow judges to remove guns from potentially dangerous owners.
It also provides for tougher background checks for the youngest gun buyers, especially those between 18 and 21 years, keeps firearms away from more domestic violence offenders and helps states put in place red flag laws. The bill includes billions of dollars in funding to help secure schools and bolster mental health resources.
The vote came the same day the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects gun rights outside the home. The court struck down a New York law that required people to show a special need to carry a handgun in public.
America's gun culture and mass shootings
As per the estimates, more than 390 million guns are owned by US citizens. In 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died from firearms-related injuries. The recent attacks in the US have further fuelled the debate on the need for long-standing gun control measures.
The elementary school massacre in Uvalde on May 12 that killed 19 children and two teachers, was the bloodiest mass shooting in the United States this year. This occurred only 10 days after a shootout at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people.
Senators, who have long struggled to find common ground on gun safety, restarted stalled negotiations after those killings, producing a bill aimed at improving background checks, securing schools and giving states federal funds to combat gun violence.
First Published: Jun 24, 2022 2:45 PM IST
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