WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) – A bipartisan package of modest arms security measures advanced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, although the Supreme Court broadly extended gun rights in ruling that Americans they have the constitutional right to carry pistols in public to defend themselves.
The Senate bill would toughen background checks on potential gun buyers convicted of domestic violence or significant crimes as minors. It does not include a broader gun control measure favored by Democrats, including President Joe Biden, such as a ban on assault rifles or high-capacity magazines.
The Supreme Court ruling, a Conservative majority of 6-3, overturned New York State’s limits for carrying concealed weapons outside the home. The court held that the law, enacted in 1913, violated a person’s right to “bear and bear arms” under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Read more
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A few hours later, the Senate voted 65-34 to advance the arms security package toward a final vote on approval that could come later in the day or Friday. Voting marks the clock up to 30 hours of debate. Democrats urged Republicans to agree to speed up the process.
The historic court ruling and the Senate’s procedural vote illustrate the deep tensions surrounding guns in the United States. Surveys show that most Americans support new limits on firearms, demands that often increase after mass shootings like those seen recently in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
At the same time, conservatives advocate a broad reading of the Second Amendment, which they say limits most new restrictions on arms purchases.
Voting in the Senate follows a passionate speech by Biden earlier this month in which he declared “enough” and urged lawmakers to act.
The Senate’s 80-page Bipartisan Safer Communities Act would encourage states to keep guns out of the hands of those considered dangerous and would strengthen background checks on potential gun buyers convicted of domestic violence or significant crimes. as minors.
Lawmakers say the bill would save lives by helping curb the tide of gun killings in the United States.
More than 20,800 people have died from armed violence in the United States by 2022, including homicide and suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters after the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, USA, June 22, 2022. REUTERS / Elizabeth Frantz
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“This is not the cure for all the ways in which armed violence affects our nation. But it is a long-awaited step in the right direction. It is important and will save lives,” Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said in a flat . speech.
‘MONUMENTAL GUCTORY’ FOR NRA
The Supreme Court ruling, written by Conservative Judge Clarence Thomas, stated that the Constitution protects “a person’s right to carry a gun for self-defense outside the home.”
“This is a monumental victory for NRA members and gun owners across the country. The atrocious New York law, which left the rights of self-defense of its residents at the whim of a government bureaucrat , has been declared unconstitutional and needs to be changed, “he said. Jason Ouimet, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Legislative Action Institute, in a statement.
“This ruling opens the door to properly change the law to the remaining seven states that do not yet recognize the right to carry a firearm for personal protection.”
In the Senate, Republicans who support the new legislation insist it does not erode the rights of law-abiding gun owners, they are among its most ardent voters. They have also tried to dissuade Democrats from making these predictions, saying the success of current legislation is unlikely to change their party’s attitude toward guns.
“It doesn’t even affect the rights of the overwhelming majority of U.S. gun owners, who are law-abiding and healthy-minded citizens,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who supports the legislation.
The bill provides funding to help states pass “red flag” laws to keep guns out of the hands of those who consider themselves a danger to themselves or others. It would also fund alternative intervention measures in the state where red-flag laws oppose and provide for improved school safety.
It closes the “boyfriend’s loophole” by denying the purchase of weapons to those convicted of abusing their intimate partners in dating relationships and allows states to add juvenile criminal and mental health records to national background checks databases .
Senator John Cornyn, the main Republican negotiator on the bill, was booed last week while discussing its contents during a speech before a Republican Party convention in his home state of Texas.
Senator Richard Durbin, the House’s No. 2 Democrat, said the bill would provide $ 4.5 billion in funding to the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. A Republican aide estimated the overall price of the measure at $ 13.3 billion, saying the cost was fully offset by funds from other parts of the federal budget.
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Report by David Morgan and Andrew Chung, additional report by Rose Horowitch, Katharine Jackson, Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Jonathan Oatis
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