Biden signs bipartisan gun measure into law

President Biden on Saturday signed the most significant gun-violence bill in 30 years into law, then paused briefly to reflect on it.

“God willing, this is gonna save a lot of lives,” the president said.

President Biden signs into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill on Saturday in the White House as First Lady Jill Biden looks on. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

The bill got through Congress in the wake of last month’s mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Those two events horrified the nation enough to get enough Republicans on board in the Senate.

The measure passed the Senate — which is split 50-50 — 65-33 on Thursday night. In the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, the bill passed 234-193 on Friday, with 14 GOP members voting yes.

The new law stops short of what many Democrats and gun-safety advocates hoped for, but it does contain a number of key provisions. It will strengthen background checks for young firearms purchasers, keep guns away from more domestic violence offenders and make it easier for state to enact red-flag laws to seize weapons from people thought to be dangerous.

With News Wire Services

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