United States senators have unveiled the text of the controversial bipartisan gun safety bill that has been demanded by residents since the sudden rise in the number of deadly mass shootings in the region.
The reveal is a key moment for the high-stakes effort to pass legislation to counter gun violence in a highly polarized political climate in the United States. The release of the bill's text also comes after days of lawmakers haggling over several sticking points, raising questions over whether it would ever be finalized, or if the effort would fall apart completely.
Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill
American lawmakers will not have to race the clock before the Senate departs for the July Fourth recess in an attempt to get the bill passed out of the chamber quickly. In a statement on Tuesday evening, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he would move quickly to bring up the bill "with an initial procedural vote as soon as tonight."
The Democrat added that following that, they would move to final passage as quickly as possible. Now, the Senate is expected to vote as early as 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday on a procedural motion to begin debate on the legislation, as per CNN.
The bill, which is titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was released by Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The compromised gun safety legislation includes millions of dollars in investments in mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs, and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
According to the New York Times, while the legislation falls short of the sweeping gun control measures that Democrats have continued to demand, if passed, it would amount to the most significant action in decades to overhaul the country's gun laws. It aims to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, which is a substantial step to break a years-long impasse in Congress.
Compromise Legislation
The 80-page bill details how it would give authorities up to 10 business days to review the juvenile mental health records of gun purchasers younger than 21 years old. It also pours funding into helping states implement so-called red flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily confiscate guns.
Furthermore, the measure would, for the first time, ensure that serious dating partners are included in a federal law that bars domestic abusers from purchasing firearms. Senators from both parties also agreed to provide millions of dollars for expanding mental health resources in communities and schools in addition to the funds to boost school safety.
The bill also toughens penalties for those evading licensing requirements or making illegal "straw" purchases, which is buying and then selling weapons to people barred from purchasing handguns.
The situation comes as Republican Sen. Mike Lee struggled to defend his party's staunch opposition to some of the gun policies that many Americans are now supporting. Instead, he went on to blame Americans, claiming that they don't understand their rights or know what an assault weapon is, the Rolling Stone reported.
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