Bipartisan senators have finally reached a “commonsense” agreement to restrict gun access for Americans.
The agreement addresses the most pressing concerns of both parties, as passing any unilateral bill seemed impossible, amid the equally divided Senate.
Much-Hyped Bipartisan Gun Control Proposal Announced
After agreeing on a proposal, a group of bipartisan senators issued a press release in which they outlined the purpose of the gun regulation proposal.
According to the senators, the proposal would not only keep American schools safe, but also reduce the “violence” all over the country.
As families are scared by pervasive mass shootings, the senators asserted new legislation would help them in restoring their faith in the communities.
Some notable senators who announced the proposal included Mitt Romeny, Pat Toomey, Lindsey Graham, Joe Manchin, and Krysten Sinema.
The plan aims to increase mental health funding and ban mentally ill patients and dangerous criminals from buying weapons.
All the senators believe the plan was intended to save Americans from gun violence without compromising the rights protected under the Second Amendment.
Here's What in the Bipartisan Gun Safety Package Proposalhttps://t.co/1GrsruNCWv
— SWAVE TECH (@swavetech_) June 13, 2022
So, senators also expressed optimism about converting this proposal into law. As this is a bipartisan proposal, it is likely to be passed by both the House and the Senate soon.
In the aftermath of the Texas school shooting, Republicans wanted to increase the security funds for schools, but Democrats were reluctant to empower law enforcement agencies.
Under the new proposal, which is based on a give and take model, this demand of the GOP has been accepted.
Democrats Face Massive Setback in Gun Control Negotiations
One of the most important aspects of the new proposal is to enhance criminal background checks on gun buyers younger than 21 years old.
This is a significant setback for Democrats who wanted to ban semi-automatic rifles for people under 21 altogether.
Last week, House Democrats passed such bills, which were intended to deprive under-21 people of their rights, but Senate Republicans will kill those bills soon.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell applauded his party members for striking a deal with Democrats.
McConnell praised two senators: John Cornyn of the GOP and Chris Murphy of Democrats, noting they should continue talking about extending mental health care and school safety, while protecting the Second Amendment at the same time.
Major: McConnell says he supports gun proposal negotiations after bill proposal announced today pic.twitter.com/lWAKGbCH3S
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) June 12, 2022
However, despite agreeing on the proposal, experts still believe partisan divisions can increase at the time of the actual legislation.
A Republican aide who was involved in the negotiation asserted the final text of the bill would matter the most.
Worries for the Republican Party could increase if Democrats try to put tricky wording in the bill, specifically for the gun-related provisions.
Some top Democrats are still not satisfied with the proposal. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed their concerns about the proposal, claiming it could have gone further to restrict guns.
