Washington – The Senate voted Thursday afternoon by 65 to 33 to pass the bipartisan gun control bill, the most important weapons legislation in nearly 30 years.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who led the negotiations along with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, told the Senate Thursday that legislation “responds” to last month’s shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which left a total of 31 dead, including 19 children, in a “positive and affirmative” manner.
“I don’t believe in doing anything in front of what we saw in Uvalde and that we’ve seen in too many communities,” Cornyn said. “Doing nothing is an abdication of our responsibility as representatives of the American people here in the United States Senate.”
The bill will be sent back to the House, where President Nancy Pelosi has pledged to take it on quickly. Although minority leader Kevin McCarthy has urged Republicans to vote against the bill, it is expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House.
“In the early hours of tomorrow morning, the Rules Committee will meet to advance this life-saving legislation,” Pelosi said in a statement Thursday night.
While the bill does not represent all the arms control measures President Biden had called for, it is expected to sign it.
Sen. John Cornyn, a Democrat from Texas, arrives to meet with Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona. . in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. J. Scott Applewhite / AP
In a statement issued after the vote, Mr Biden called on the House to “quickly vote on this bipartisan bill and send it to my desk”.
“Tonight, after 28 years of inaction, bipartisan members of Congress came together to address the call of families across the country and passed legislation to address the scourge of armed violence in our communities.” , he said. “The families of Uvalde and Buffalo, and too many tragic shootings before, have called for action. And tonight we acted.”
Republicans who voted for the bill are Senator Roy Blunt; Richard Burr; Shelley Moore Capito; Bill Cassidy; Susan Collins; John Cornyn; Joni Ernst; Lindsey Graham; Mitch McConnell; Lisa Murkowski; Rob Portman; Mitt Romney; Thom Tillis; Pat Toomey; I Todd Young.
McConnell said the passage of the legislation by the Senate, as well as the Supreme Court overturning a New York gun law Thursday earlier, meant “two historic victories.”
“I am proud of these two complementary victories that will make our country freer and safer at the same time,” the minority leader in the Senate said. “Law-abiding Americans will go to bed tonight with Second Amendment rights significantly stronger than they had this morning, while the new common sense railings around convicted criminals and mental illness are now in way to become law “.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted that he is “glad we are finally taking significant action on guns for the first time in nearly 30 years to keep communities safe.”
Senate negotiators released a framework for the proposal earlier this month and unveiled the legislative text on Tuesday, after which the upper house took the first step toward advancing the bill in a bipartisan procedural vote.
Legislation improves background checks on potential gun buyers under the age of 21, closes the so-called “boyfriend’s loophole,” clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer, and creates criminal penalties for the purchase. of straw and arms trafficking. It also provides $ 750 million in grants to encourage states to implement crisis intervention programs and provides approximately $ 1 billion in federal funding to strengthen mental health services for children and families and harden schools.
The Senate measure does not go as far as what Mr Biden has called for and is significantly more limited than a package of bills passed by the House this month. This legislation would raise the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21 and ban large-capacity magazines. It also encourages the safe storage of firearms and establishes requirements governing the storage of weapons in residential premises.
Although House legislation included many of the proposals advocated by Mr. Biden, he would not have gained enough Republican support to exceed the 60-vote threshold because the legislation advanced in the Senate.
Democrats involved in the upper house bipartisan discussions have acknowledged that their proposal is more tailored, but have said a small package was more likely to receive support from the GOP.
The bill opposes the National Rifle Association, which said in a statement Tuesday that proposals tabled in the legislation could be “abused to restrict legal arms purchases, violate the rights of Americans.” law-abiding people and use federal dollars to fund weapons. ” control measures being taken by state and local politicians “.
House Republican leaders have also said the Senate plan is part of an effort to erode the rights of the Second Amendment of law-abiding Americans. But McConnell, who voted in favor of the bill, told the Senate Wednesday that the legislation advances “common sense solutions without revoking the rights of law-abiding citizens.”