US President Joe Biden talks about the progress of US vaccination following a visit to the Coronavirus Vaccination Clinic (COVID-19) in the District of Columbia (DC Health) during a speech at Roosevelt’s room at the White House in Washington, DC, June 21, 2022.
Kevin Lamarck Reuters
President Joe Biden signed the most significant national weapons reform in decades since Saturday early Saturday after years of stalled efforts to tighten gun laws.
Biden’s signature comes just a day after the House legislators passed the bipartisan bill in an attempt to restrict access to weapons for the youngest buyers, domestic violence offenders and others who could pose a risk to their communities. The Law on Two-Party Safer Communities will also fund school safety and mental health programs.
The Senate adopted the issue late Thursday.
“Although this bill does not do everything I want, it includes actions that I have long called for that will save lives,” Biden said before signing the bill.
Lawmakers struggled to find a solution to the recent wave of gun massacres following mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and a primary school in Texas last month.
The new law tightens past checks on gun buyers aged 18 to 21. The possibility of easy access to firearms for young adults has come under increasing scrutiny after 18-year-olds armed with assault rifles fired in both Buffalo and Uwalde, Texas.
Lawmakers have worked to close the so-called door for boyfriends and restrict the possession of weapons for perpetrators of domestic violence who are not married to their partners. It also creates grants for states to promote red flag laws that allow police or relatives and acquaintances to petition the court to order the removal of a weapon if the person is considered dangerous.
In addition, the bill will fund programs for school safety and mental health for young people. Proponents of Republican gun rights argue that these problems, rather than the proliferation of firearms, have fueled the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. Democrats have also long lamented the lack of funding for mental health programs.
“I know there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s a monumental day,” Biden said.
– Jacob Pramuk of CNBC contributed to this report.
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