The Senate on Tuesday cleared the first hurdle to passing a bipartisan measure aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, agreeing to take up a compromise bill whose enactment would break a yearslong stalemate over federal legislation to address gun violence. While the bill falls short of the sweeping gun control measures Democrats have long demanded, its approval would amount to the most significant action in decades to overhaul the nation’s gun laws. The 64-to-34 vote came just hours after Republicans and Democrats released the text of the legislation, and after days of feverish negotiations to hammer out its details. The 80-page bill, called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, would enhance background checks, giving authorities up to 10 business days to review the juvenile and mental health records of gun purchasers younger than 21, and direct millions toward helping states implement so-called red-flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily confiscate guns from people deemed dangerous, as well as other intervention programs. The measure would also, for the first time, ensure that serious dating partners are included in a federal law that bars domestic abusers from purchasing firearms, a longtime priority that has eluded gun safety advocates for years.
One pager detailing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
For today, the Senate convened at 10:00 A.M. and will resume consideration of the House message with respect to S.2938, the vehicle for Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Senate will also take up the nomination of Cathy Ann Harris to be Chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board and the nomination of Mary T. Boyle to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is also expected to move to discharge the nomination of Arianna J. Freeman to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, from the Judiciary Committee.
The House convened at 12:00 P.M. and is expected to consider H.R. 7666 – Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 and H.R. 5585 – Advanced Research Projects Agency Health Act. The House will also likely take up eight postponed bills under suspension of the Rules.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
