A group of bipartisan senators reached a gun control framework on Sunday that would incentivize 'red flag' laws but would not increase the age to purchase certain rifles to 21.
While the deal is substantially less than the House bills passed last week and is weaker than what Democrats want, it does provide the framework for the most significant federal gun restrictions in nearly three decades.
President Joe Biden on Sunday immediately lauded the deal and the senators who put it together as news of the proposal became public.
'I want to thank Senator Chris Murphy and the members of his bipartisan group — especially Senators Cornyn, Sinema, and Tillis — for their tireless work to produce this proposal,' Biden wrote in a statement on the bipartisan efforts.
'Obviously, it does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades,' he continued. 'With bipartisan support, there are no excuses for delay, and no reason why it should not quickly move through the Senate and the House.'
'Each day that passes, more children are killed in this country: the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.'
The deal reached in the upper chamber combines a pair of modest gun restrictions while significant mental health and school safety investments.
Core lawmakers behind the Senate deal are Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kysten Sinema of Arizona, as well as Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The four individuals are still working on writing and finalizing the legislative text, but are confident it will have the support of at least 60 senators, which is the threshold needed for legislation to pass in the upper chamber.
One of the most potentially restrictive aspects of the tentative deal would establish a federal grant program to encourage the creation of 'red flag' laws, which would allow authorities to prevent people from buying guns who are deemed by a judge to be a threat to themselves or others.
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