US senators have reached a bipartisan deal aimed at tackling growing gun violence across the United States.
However, the new initiative is much weaker than the proposed ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines put forward earlier this month by the US president Joe Biden or his alternative, if this was not possible, of raising of the age limit for purchasing for such weapons to 21 years.
The measures in the new deal also do not go as far as those adopted last week by the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats. However, given its level of support in the Senate the new agreement offers the best chance of overcoming a filibuster by opponents and leading to the introduction of the first new federal gun control reforms in more than 25 years.
The new framework, announced on Sunday, would provide financial incentives to states to encourage them to introduce what are known as “red flag” laws. Under these provisions courts can order the removal of firearms from people deemed to a danger to themselves or others.
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The plan would also put in place tougher background checks for those between 18 and 21 years. Federal criminal background checks for gun buyers under 21 would include a mandatory search of juvenile justice records for the first time.
It would also seek to close what is known as “boyfriend loophole” by extending firearms restrictions on those who have abused domestic partners — not just spouses.
The framework says that convicted domestic violence abusers and individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders would be included in criminal background checks.
The new plan also aims to boost mental health services by providing significant additional funding and to improve security at schools.
There would also be a crackdown on what are known as “straw purchases” where someone buys a weapon for another individual who is prohibited by law from possessing one or who is does not want his or her name associated with the transaction.
The deal was put together in the aftermath of a number of big shooting incidents in the United States over recent weeks in which dozens of people were killed.
These include the mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas in which 19 children and two teachers died and the killings at a grocery store in Buffalo in New York in which ten people died.
The suspected perpetrators in both incidents were teenagers using assault rifles.
Mr Biden said on Sunday that that the new framework deal did not do everything he believed was needed to address gun violence.
However, he said the initiative “reflected important steps in the right direction”.
“With bipartisan support, there are no excuses for delay, and no reason why it should not quickly move through the Senate and the House. 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.”
The majority leader in the US senate Chuck Schumer of New York, also described the initiative as “a good first step to ending the persistent inaction to the gun violence epidemic that has plagued our country”.
In a statement 10 republican and 10 democratic senators said: “Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities. Most importantly, our plan saves lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.”
Details of the framework will need to be drawn up in legislation. The deal will need 60 votes in the 100-member US senate to overcome any filibuster by its opponents.
