The lawmakers in Washington who have been holding discussions on a gun safety measure in the U.S. Senate have published the actual language of the bill. The Senate could vote on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act this week.
"I'm happy to report as a result of the hard work of a number of Senators in this chamber we've made some serious progress," Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas said. "We know there's no such thing as a perfect piece of legislation. We are imperfect human beings, but we have to try - and I believe this bill is a step in the right direction."
The bill would call for juvenile criminal records or mental health orders to be part of the background check for gun buyers between the ages of 18 and 21. It would also boost funding for school safety and mental health programs. The bill would also tighten regulations banning people with domestic violence convictions from purchasing weapons. Existing policies allow some with those convictions to purchase guns if the convictions did not involve their spouse or domestic partner.
"This doesn't limit law-abiding gun owners' rights. Unless somebody is convicted of domestic abuse under their state laws, their gun rights will not be impacted," Sen. Cornyn said.
The group that drafted the bill includes ten Republican Senators. If all ten support the bill along with Democrats, that would give the measure the 60 votes it needs to pass in the Senate. Supporters of the measure hope the Senate will take a vote before lawmakers go on their summer recess at the end of the month.
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