The U.S. Senate has passed a rare bipartisan package of arms security legislation, sending it to the House of Representatives for later approval.
The bill, considered the first significant legislation on arms control passed in three decades, was passed by 65 votes to 33 in favor.
Fifteen Republican senators joined the 50 Democrats to vote on the bill.
Measures include tougher background checks for younger gun owners, measures to keep guns away from more domestic violence offenders, and red-flag laws that will make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people considered dangerous.
The $ 13 billion package will also fund programs on school safety, mental health and violence prevention.
But a compromise could not be reached with broader measures, such as banning assault rifles or high-capacity magazines, so they have been left out of the legislation.
It comes after a series of recent mass shootings, including one at a school in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers died; and one at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, which left 10 dead.
They were among more than 20,800 people who have been killed by armed violence in the U.S. this year, including homicide and suicide, according to the nonprofit research group Gun Violence Archive.
Read more: Thousands take to the streets of the United States to demand measures to tighten controls
Before the vote, Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “This is not a cure for the ways in which armed violence affects our nation, but it is a long-awaited step in the right direction. “.
The bill is expected to be passed in the Democratic-controlled House, before it is signed by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Biden said Thursday night: “Tonight, after 28 years of inaction, bipartisan members of Congress have come together to address the call of families across the country and passed legislation to address the scourge of armed violence in our communities.
“The families of Uvalde and Buffalo – and too tragic shootings before – have demanded action.
“And tonight we acted.
“This bipartisan legislation will help protect Americans. Children in schools and communities will be safer to do so.
“The House of Representatives should quickly vote on this bipartisan bill and send it to my desk.”
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Also Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Americans have the constitutional right to carry handguns in public to defend themselves, highlighting the deep division over the issue.
The conservative majority in court overturned New York State’s limits on carrying concealed weapons outside the home, ruling that it violated a person’s right to “have and carry weapons,” according to the Second Amendment to the Constitution. of the USA.