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President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the critical gun safety bill known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, one of the most significant pieces of federal firearms legislation since the 1990s.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, one of the most high-profile supports of gun control in Congress, and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a conservative ex-state Attorney General, worked for weeks to craft a bill that includes millions of dollars for mental health services, school security, and crisis intervention programs.
In addition, the bill provides $750 million in funding for states to implement red flag laws — which generally allows law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from individuals who are a threat to themselves or others — while also enhancing background checks for younger gun buyers, among other items.
The bill does not ban assault rifles or dramatically expand gun background checks, two key proposals which were broadly popular among Democrats but overwhelmingly opposed by conservatives.