A bipartisan bill on armed violence that seemed unimaginable a month ago is about to get final approval in Congress, a vote that will produce the strongest response from lawmakers in decades to the brutal mass shootings that have surprised but not surprised Americans.
The House was due to vote on the $ 13 billion package on Friday, exactly one month after a gunman sent 19 students and two teachers to an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
A few days earlier, a white man motivated by racism allegedly killed 10 black grocery buyers in Buffalo, New York.
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Who has led Democrats in bipartisan Senate talks to curb armed violence, pauses for questions from reporters at the Washington Capitol on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Senate Thursday , June On December 23, 2022, he easily passed a bipartisan bill on armed violence that seemed unthinkable just a month ago, and paved the way for final congressional approval of what will be the most far-reaching response from the legislators in decades in the nation’s brutal mass shooting series. (AP Pho (AP)
The two massacres, days of difference and victimization of defenseless people for whom the public felt an immediate empathy, led both sides to conclude that Congress should act, especially in an election year.
After weeks of closed-door talks, Senate negotiators on both sides reached a compromise by taking light but shocking measures to make this chaos less likely.
“The families of Uvalde and Buffalo, and too many tragic shootings before, have demanded action. And tonight, we have acted,” President Joe Biden said after the passage.
He said the House should send it to him quickly, adding, “Children in schools and communities will be safer about it.”
The legislation would tighten background checks for younger gun buyers, maintain the firearms of more domestic violence offenders, and help states establish red-flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people considered dangerous.
It would also fund local school safety, mental health and violence prevention programs.
The Senate passed the measure Thursday by 65-33.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., crosses a construction tunnel at the Washington Capitol on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. After Senate negotiators reached an agreement on a bipartisan bill on Armed violence, Schumer predicted Senate approval later this week and Democratic-led House approval could follow quickly. (Photo by AP / J. Scott Applewhite) (AP)
Fifteen Republicans, a remarkably high figure for a party that has derailed the brakes on guns for years, joined the 50 Democrats, including its two independent allies, to pass the bill.
Still, that meant less than a third of Republican senators supported the measure.
And with Republicans in the House expected to stand firmly opposed, the fate of future congressional gun action seems doubtful, though the GOP is expected to gain control of the House and possibly the Senate. in the November elections.
Leading House Republicans asked for a “no” in an email from GOP No. 2 leader Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise.
He called the bill “an effort to slowly break the rights of the second amendment of law-abiding citizens.”
While the bill was notable for its contrast to years of stagnation in Washington, it is a far cry from the tougher gun restrictions Democrats have sought and Republicans have frustrated for years.
These included a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines used in the killings in Buffalo and Uvalde.
However, the deal allowed Senate leaders of both parties to declare victory and show voters they know how to commit and make the government work, while leaving room for each side to appeal to its main supporters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Speaks to reporters after a closed-door policy lunch at the Washington Capitol on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite) (AP)
“This is not a cure for all the ways in which armed violence affects our nation,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., whose party has made restrictions on weapons a target for decades. “But it’s a long-awaited step in the right direction.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., In a nod to the Second Amendment right to bear arms that drives many conservative voters, said “the American people want to protect their constitutional rights and that their children are safe in school. “
Hours before final approval, the Senate voted 65-34 to end an obstructionism by conservative GOP senators with the goal of killing legislation.
That was five more than the required 60-vote threshold.
However, Senate votes highlighted the suspicion most Republicans feel about challenging party pro-gun voters and gun groups like the National Rifle Association.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana were the only two of 15 candidates for re-election this fall.
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Who has led Democrats in bipartisan Senate talks to curb armed violence, speaks with reporters at the Washington Capitol on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Senate negotiators reach an agreement on a bipartisan weapon. Violence Bill yesterday, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicting Senate approval later this week. (Photo by AP / J. Scott Applewhite) (AP)
Of the rest, four are retiring and eight will not face voters until 2026.
Revealingly, Republican senators who voted “no” included potential 2024 presidential candidates like Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Tim Scott of South Carolina. Cruz said the legislation “would disarm law-abiding citizens instead of taking serious steps to protect our children.” . “
The talks that produced the bill were led by Senators Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, RN.C. Murphy represented Newtown, Connecticut, when an assailant killed 20 students and six Sandy Hook Elementary School staff members in 2012, while Cornyn has been involved in previous gun talks following the mass shootings in his state and is in near McConnell.
The bill would make available local youth records of people between the ages of 18 and 20 during mandatory federal background checks when attempting to purchase weapons.
These exams, currently limited to three days, would have a maximum duration of 10 days to give federal and local officials time to search for records.
A teacher killed in the Texas massacre was fired alongside her husband
People convicted of domestic abuse who are current or former romantic partners of the victim would have been prohibited from acquiring firearms, closing the so-called “groove of the groom”.
Currently, this prohibition only applies to people who are married to the victim, who live, or who have had children with the victim.
There would be money to help states enforce red flag laws and for other states without them for violence prevention programs.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have these laws.
The measure expands the use of background checks by rewriting the definition of federally licensed arms dealers needed to carry them out.
Sanctions for arms trafficking are strengthened, billions of dollars are provided for behavioral health clinics and school mental health programs, and there is money for school safety initiatives, though not for staff to use a “dangerous weapon.”