A bipartisan package of modest gun safety measures was approved by the United States Senate late Thursday, even as the Supreme Court broadened gun rights by ruling that Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense.
The landmark court decision and Senate action on gun safety highlight the country’s deep divide on firearms, coming just weeks after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, which killed more than 30 people, including 19 children.
The Senate bill, approved by a vote of 65-33, is the first significant gun control legislation to pass in three decades in a country with the world’s highest gun ownership per capita and the highest number of mass shootings per year among wealthy nations.
‘This bipartisan bill will help to protect Americans. As a result, children in schools and communities will be safer ‘Following the vote, President Joe Biden stated. ‘The House of Representatives should vote on this bipartisan bill as soon as possible and send it to my desk.’
The bill’s most significant restriction on gun ownership would tighten background checks for would-be gun purchasers convicted of domestic violence or significant crimes as juveniles, according to supporters.
Republicans refused to budge on more broad gun control measures supported by Democrats, including Biden, such as a ban on assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines.
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