The deal, signed by 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats and ratified by President Biden and top Democrats, includes enhanced background checks to give authorities time to review the minor and mental health records of any potential under-21 buyer and a a provision that will extend, for the first time, to dating companions a bar for domestic criminals who have weapons. It will also provide funding to states to enforce so-called red flag laws that allow authorities to temporarily seize firearms from people considered dangerous, as well as money for mental health resources and to strengthen school safety and mental health services. The outline, which has not yet been finalized, falls far short of the sweeping reforms that Biden, gun control activists and the Democratic majority have long advocated, such as the arms embargo and global history checks. . And it is not as sweeping as a package of weapons measures passed almost in line with the party’s lines in Parliament last week, which would ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons to people under the age of 21, ban the sale of large-capacity rifles and implement a federal red flag law, among other measures. But it equates to remarkable progress, given the deep partisan divisions over how to deal with armed violence and the repeated failed attempts to approve arms reform in the Capitol, where Republicans have been blocking action for years. Democrats welcomed the plan, which would also strengthen federal laws to stop the arms trade and ensure that all dealers carry out background checks, as an opportunity to pass the most important arms safety legislation in decades. “Today, we announce a common, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country,” the 20 senators, led by Christopher S. Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut and John O. Cornyn, Texas Republican, said in a joint statement. “Families are afraid and it is our duty to unite and do something that will help restore a sense of security and safety in their communities.” The support of 10 Republicans suggested that the plan could escalate an obstacle that no other proposal under consideration could overcome: to gain the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster and survive to see a vote up. or down in the Senate. floor. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and minority leader who has played a key role in disrupting gun security in recent years, praised what he called “progress” in the debate, although he was unwavering in his support for it. the package. “The principles announced today show the value of dialogue and cooperation,” McConnell said. “I continue to hope that their discussions will yield a bipartisan product that makes significant progress on key issues such as mental health and school safety, respects the second amendment, gains widespread support in the Senate and makes a difference for our country.” The aides warned that until the legislation was finalized, it was not certain that any of the data could garner the 60 votes needed to move forward. The outline includes a provision for dealing with what is known as a “friend’s window”, which would prohibit comrades from carrying weapons if they have been convicted of domestic violence or subject to a restraining order of domestic violence. Currently, only domestic abusers who are married, living with or the parents of a child victim are prohibited from carrying a firearm. Republicans challenged the inclusion of a bill to address their boyfriend’s vacancy in a re-enactment of the Violence Against Women Act, forcing Democrats to abandon it to pass the bill in March. Mr Biden urged Congress to pass a bill quickly, saying “there are no excuses for delay”. “Every day more and more children are being killed in this country,” he said. “The sooner it comes to my office, the sooner I can sign it and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.” The rare moment of the bipartisan agreement came just three weeks after a gun massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers, and about a month after a racist Buffalo shooting that killed 10 black supermarkets . Repeated mass shootings have pushed the issue of armed violence to the forefront in Washington, where many years of efforts to impose gun restrictions after such shootings have failed amid the Republican opposition. In an interview, Mr Murphy said the Senate had seized on a time when changes such as closing a friend void – a provision that could not garner 60 votes earlier this year – were suddenly possible. “There is a different mood in the American public right now,” he said. “There is real panic among families and children that this country is spiraling out of control. “This demand has given us an opportunity.” Mr Murphy said he hoped many more Republicans would end up supporting a bill that would help “break this deadlock and show the country what is possible.” However, as a sign of the political dangers that Republicans see in adopting even modest gun security measures, none of the 10 who approved Sunday’s deal faced voters this year. The group included four Republican senators leaving Congress at the end of the year – Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio and Patrick J. Pennsylvania Tummy – and five who are not ready for re-election for another four years: Mr. Cornyn, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Caroline. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney will face voters in 2024. “I have worked closely with my colleagues to find an agreement to protect our communities from violence, while at the same time protecting the law-abiding Texan right to bear arms,” Cornyn said in a statement on Twitter. The Democrats who signed Sunday’s statement were Mr. Murphy and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. , Mark Kelly of Arizona, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. With them came Angus King, Maine’s independent. Mr Blumenthal and Mr Kelly are running for re-election in November. The deal was announced on the sixth anniversary of the Pulse massacre, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed 49 people in what was then the deadliest shooting in modern American history. Negotiators now need to translate the general principles of the framework into legislation, a much more arduous process, and secure enough support in both bodies for legislation to become law. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the leader of the majority, pledged to put the agreement to a vote as soon as the law is completed, calling it “a good first step in ending the persistent inaction in the arms epidemic that has plagued our country.” ” “We have to move fast to push this legislation, because if an unmarried life can be saved, it is worth it,” Sumer said in a statement. Weapons security activists have said they see the measures as a breakthrough that they hope will unlock a new era of bipartisanship. “The fact that such a large group is coming together to do so shows that we are at a historic moment,” said T. Christian Heyne, vice president for politics at Brady: United Against Gun Violence. “I feel like a crucial starting point for what I hope will be a new era in the prevention of armed violence.” Mr Heyne said closing the partner gap, in particular, had long been one of his body’s top priorities. “All of these things in particular make sense,” said Heyne. “When you look at them together, it’s very important.” As the pressure for congressional action has increased in recent days, about a dozen senators – including veterans of failed attempts to reach similar agreements – gathered at Zoom, by telephone and at the Capitol underground offices to reach an agreement before the end of the break. 4th of July. Party leaders signaled support for the talks, although Mr Sumer warned he would not allow them to delay the summer before forcing them to vote on arms control measures. Mr Murphy called on Mr Sumer to stop planning a vote on a more sweeping gun control bill passed by the House, which Republicans opposed to giving room for talks, and repeatedly warned that his top priorities His party should be abandoned to ensure the necessary Supports the GOP for any compromise. Last week, Parliament voted almost along party lines to pass a much more substantial gun control bill, including raising the age for buying semi-automatic weapons and banning cartridges containing more than 15 rounds, as well as and the federal red flag law. . With everyone but a handful of Republicans opposed, none of the measures had any chance of passing in the Senate. As a sign of the political dangers that Republicans see in supporting arms control measures, all but one of the five House Republicans who backed the bill are leaving Congress this year. One of them, New York Republican Chris Jacobs, abruptly withdrew his candidacy for re-election in his Buffalo suburb after facing backlash over a federal arms embargo. “We really have to work to restore some trust, to reduce the rhetoric on both sides, so that we can really …
