Bipartisan group of Senators announce outline of gun violence agreement

A bipartisian group of senators on Sunday announced a framework for gun safety legislation. The agreement comes in response to a flurry of mass shootings in the last few months. Incidents have occured in  Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas and Smithsburg, Maryland. 

The senators in a statement said that the accord includes “needed mental health resources, improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those who are adjudicated as mentally ill can’t purchase weapons.”

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With 10 Republicans supporting the agreement, the proposal is set to counter a Senate filibuster. It also includes support for state crisis intervention orders, funding for school safety resources, an enhanced review process for buyers under the age of 21 and penalties foe straw purchasing.

The proposal falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. Even so, if the accord leads to the enactment of legislation, it would signal a turn from years of gun massacres that have yielded little but stalemate in Congress.

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Leaders hope to push any agreement into law quickly — they hope this month — before the political momentum fades that has been stirred by the recent mass shootings. 

Senators supporting the proposal includes:

Republicans – John Cornyn of Texas, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr of North Carolina, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

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Democrats – Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Senator Angus King of Maine is an independent who caucuses with Democrats.