U.S. senators announced on Sunday an agreement in principle to increase control over firearms in the country, which proposes minimum measures after the mass shootings in a supermarket in Buffalo (New York) and in a school in Uvalde (Texas).
In a statement, the group of senators, both Democrats and Republicans, indicated that the agreement includes a review of the gun purchase process for those under the age of 21 (the perpetrators of the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings were both 18 years old).
The package of measures also extends to the entire country the so-called “Red Flag” laws, already in force in states such as California, New York and Florida, which allow a legal procedure to confiscate the firearms of those who pose a danger to others or to themselves.
The group of senators that reached the agreement consists of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, so it is foreseeable that it will achieve the necessary support to be approved in the full Senate, where the Democrats enjoy a very narrow majority and need Republican support to pass almost any initiative.
Another measure included in the package is designed to end what has come to be known as the “boyfriend loophole,” whereby until now if someone is accused of domestic violence without being married, they are allowed to continue to own guns, something that does not happen in the case of married people.
In addition to slightly restricting access to guns to certain people and under certain circumstances, the agreement also includes more funding for mental health resources and to strengthen school safety, two aspects that gun advocates insist on every time there is a media shooting in the US.
The agreement is significant in that it has bipartisan support – if approved, it would be the largest legislative reform on firearms in thirty years – but it falls far short of the much more restrictive proposals of the White House and the majority of Democratic Party representatives.
Shortly after the agreement was announced, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement in which he called the agreement a “step in the right direction,” but lamented that it “obviously” does not include all the measures he believes are necessary.
“Every day that passes, more children are being murdered in this country. It is important that the agreement reaches my office as soon as possible so that I can ratify it and we can use these measures to save lives,” he said.
Before reaching the Oval Office to be ratified by the President, the agreement must be introduced as a bill and passed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.