The budding deal, announced Sunday and approved by 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, includes funding to motivate more states to enact so-called “red flag” laws that would authorize police to file a lawsuit to ban some people own or buy a firearm. It also strengthens background checks and, for the first time, enforces a search of juvenile justice records for buyers under the age of 21, in addition to banning those convicted of domestic violence against partners of possessing weapons. Lawmakers are also seeking to expand mental health services nationwide and increase funding to enhance school safety. The proposed framework does not meet many of the Biden government’s most stringent measures, including raising the age limit for the purchase of certain firearms from 18 to 21. The president also called for a reinstatement of the ban on assault rifles and large-caliber cartridges, which expires during George W. Bush’s presidency and was introduced in 1994 under Bill Clinton. “Obviously it does not do what I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction and would be the most important gun safety bill to be passed in Congress in decades,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday. . “Every day that passes, more children are being killed in this country: the sooner it comes to my office, the sooner I can sign it and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.”

Connecticut Democrats Chris Murphy of Arizona and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina led the way. Biden said bipartisan support should mean moving fast through the Senate and House of Representatives. “Today, we announce a common, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence throughout our country,” the Senate said in a statement. The announcement comes weeks after an elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas killed 19 children and two teachers at the hands of an 18-year-old armed with a shotgun. About a week earlier, another teenager shot and killed 10 people at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York’s second largest city. Multiple mass shootings occurred after these attacks. Thousands of Americans marched in Washington and cities across the country this weekend to support stronger gun control laws. The bipartisan package is merely an agreement in principle and not yet a legislative text, which means a potentially difficult negotiation process ahead.