A bipartisan group of senators reaching a “breakthrough agreement” on stopping gun violence within the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, faculty capturing is a “good starting point” however doesn’t go far sufficient, Massachusetts gun-reform advocates advised the Herald on Sunday.
The Senate announcement of a gun-safety deal got here a day after protests throughout the nation, together with in Boston, following the horrific Uvalde elementary faculty capturing, Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store mass capturing and a string of a number of different tragic incidents.
The gun-safety framework signed by 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats would set up an enhanced background verify course of for gun consumers below age 21, funding to assist states implement “red flag laws,” cash for psychological well being and college security, and set up federal penalties for gun traffickers.
The gun deal would additionally shut what’s referred to as the “boyfriend loophole,” that means that home abusers wouldn’t have the ability to buy a gun in the event that they have been convicted of abuse in opposition to their accomplice.
“On the day after youth across the country took to the streets to demand change, including right here in Boston, it is heartening to see federal action on preventing gun violence,” mentioned Ruth Zakarin of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
“The Senate framework does not include key measures such as universal background checks or a ban on semiautomatic weapons, but it does have important provisions, including closing the ‘boyfriend loophole’ and expanded resources for implementing Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” she added. “While we are glad to see the announcement of the Senate agreement, we hope to soon see federal action that mirrors the Massachusetts package of gun safety measures, a model that we know works and saves lives.”
The group negotiating the proposed laws was led by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.
“We have a deal,” Murphy tweeted on Sunday. “Today a bipartisan group of 20 Senators (10 D and 10 R) is announcing a breakthrough agreement on gun violence — the first in 30 years — that will save lives.”
“Will this bill do everything we need to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic? No,” he later added. “But it’s real, meaningful progress.”
President Biden mentioned the invoice could be “the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”
“Each day that passes, more children are killed in this country: the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives,” Biden mentioned.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer mentioned he’ll be placing the gun-safety laws on the ground “as soon as possible.”
The NRA sounded a be aware of assist for the elevated assets for psychological well being and college security, however withheld touch upon the general framework, stating in a tweet, “We will make our position known when the full text of the bill is available for review.”
A lead organizer of the March For Our Lives Boston rally mentioned the Senate package deal is a “good starting point.” But Jaylin Gemmel added that some components of the deal are “missing the mark.”
“While funding for mental health services is important, mental health must not be scapegoated for mass shootings in the process,” Gemmel mentioned. “We are also grateful for the closure of the boyfriend loophole. However, the proposal doesn’t go far sufficient to lift the age of gun buying or make background checks common.
Jim Wallace of the Gun Owners Action League mentioned he’s not in favor of the improved background checks for gun consumers below age 21, stressing that the main focus must be on those that are “so mentally ill that they shouldn’t be walking amongst us.”
Wallace added, “They need 24/7 everyday care, and I’m not seeing anything about that.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”