Senator Mitch McConnell has signaled that he will support the gun law bill before congress if it remains in the current form. The bill was negotiated by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Chis Murphy of Connecticut.
McConnel announced Tuesday at a GOP conference luncheon that he is "comfortable with the framework and if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, [he'll] be supportive". McConnel is among 11 other republicans who have also shown support for the bill.
The bill included billions in funding for mental health centers, school security and state funding to support the framework that is designed to keep guns away from people who are a threat to themselves or others. The bill also includes measures to eliminate straw purchasing (the first measure of this kind in the United States) and requires any firearms dealer to conduct a proper background check. The bill also outlaws bump stocks or other material devices that alter the rate of fire of semiautomatic weapons or machine guns.
Another important element of the bill is language that closes the "boyfriend loophole", that denies domestic abusers and their dating partners the ability to buy a gun if they are convicted of abuse. Although it does not ban the purchase of assault rifles for Americans under 21 years of age, it does add enhanced background checks and a pause on the sale of assault rifles until the background check is completed.
The bill does not mandate universal background checks and it is the first major legislative progress on gun control is 3 decades. The last reform expired in 2004 and was an assault weapons ban that Biden, a senator at the time, was a major influencer for in 1994.
With widespread congressional support, the bipartisan move, titled "Protecting Our Kids Act", appears likely to establish legislative foothold in the coming months.
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