Late last month, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill that was passed by Congress. This legislation comes after yet another devastating mass shooting that occurred in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers.
After years of stalling and debate in Congress and countless mass shootings across the country, this legislation is the first gun safety bill to be drafted, passed through both chambers of Congress, and signed by a sitting president in decades. “At a time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.” President Biden said.
The legislation includes provisions that have bipartisan support such as incentives for states to pass so-called red flag laws that allow groups to petition courts to remove weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others. Additionally, the law expands background checks on people between the ages of 18 and 21 seeking to buy a gun and expands an existing law (often referred to as closing the “boyfriend loophole”) that prevents people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun to include dating partners rather than just spouses and former spouses.