The United States Senate has taken the first step toward passing what has been called the most important new gun control measures in a decade.
The bipartisan bill might be signed into law next week after senators opted to accelerate its passage.
Despite being substantial, the suggestions fall well short of what many Democrats and activists have demanded in response to a run of mass shootings.
The restrictions include stricter background checks for purchasers under 21 years of age.
The bill proposes funds to encourage states to enact “red flag” laws to confiscate firearms from those deemed to be a threat. The act also contains federal funding of $15 billion (£12.2 billion) for mental health programs and school security upgrades.
And it addresses the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting the sale of firearms to anyone convicted of domestic violence against unmarried intimate partners.
It is the first time in decades that proposed gun safety legislation has gotten bipartisan backing from senators of both parties.
The procedural Senate vote on Tuesday evening passed 64 to 34 less than two hours after the final wording was distributed.
Some 14 Republicans voted to move the bill, indicating that it may have sufficient support to pass the entire Senate.
It must also pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives before reaching the desk of Vice President Joe Biden.
Senator Chris Murphy, the leading Democrat in the negotiations, stated on the Senate floor that the bill “will be the most substantial piece of anti-gun violence legislation introduced by Congress in the last three decades.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer issued the following statement: “This bipartisan gun safety legislation will save lives and represents progress. Despite not being everything we desire, this legislation is desperately required.”
In a statement offering his support, his Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, branded the plan as “a common-sense package.”
National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized the bill, stating in a statement that it “does little to truly reduce violent crime” and “may be misused to restrict legal gun purchases.”
Earlier this month, President Biden stated that the ideas were “steps in the right direction” but were still insufficient.
He has advocated for more extensive measures, such as a ban on assault rifles, which were used in the mass killings in Texas and Buffalo, or at least an increase in the age at which they can be purchased.
The last significant federal gun control legislation was passed in 1994, prohibiting the production of assault rifles and large-capacity ammunition clips for civilian use, but it lapsed a decade later.
The United States has the greatest rate of firearm-related mortality among developed nations. However, the United States is also a nation where the Second Amendment’s protection of the freedom to “keep and bear arms” is highly valued.
Republicans have impeded previous Democratic initiatives to enhance gun control measures in the United States.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, in which 20 children and six adults were killed, attempts to tighten gun control regulations in the United States failed to get enough votes in Congress.
The Senate, or upper body of Congress, is now divided, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, and legislation requires 60 votes to overcome the filibuster or strategic delay.
Ten of the twenty senators who developed the framework for the additional measures are Republicans, indicating that the plans had the necessary support to move forward.
