WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – On Saturday, just before leaving for Europe for a string of talks with foreign leaders, President Joe Biden passed into law the biggest gun violence prevention bill in three decades at the White House.
The legislation’s signing, according to Biden, was a “monumental day” and evidence that Democrats and Republicans could agree on significant subjects.
The measure addresses the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting unmarried dating partners who have been convicted of abuse from possessing firearms, expands background checks to incorporate juvenile records, and distributes funding to states for “red flag” laws. Additionally, it will call for financing for teenage mental health treatment and expanded background checks for those between the ages of 18 and 21, according to NBC NEWS.
After a shooter in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 kids and 2 teachers, bipartisan gun reform advanced quickly through Congress. More than 2 dozen Republicans in the House and Senate, namely Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, joined all Democrats in voting in favor of the bill.
Following the massacres in Uvalde and Buffalo, New York, he had urged Congress to approve legislation strengthening gun laws. However, the bill did not go as far as his demands for Congress, which are mostly rejected by Republicans in Congress, to outlaw assault weapons and mandate background checks for all firearm purchases.
Following two significant setbacks from the Supreme Court in the previous week, the bill provides Biden a victory. The Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the court on Friday, ending a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. Additionally, it overturned a New York statute on Thursday that mandated demonstrating a particular necessity in order to obtain a permit to possess a concealed firearm in public.
Shortly before departing for a week of talks with G-7 and NATO officials in Germany and Spain, Biden signed the firearms legislation. He stated that upon his return, he intends to host a gathering at the White House for the legislators who contributed to the bill’s passage.
