U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) says hopes the bipartisan group of lawmakers that has been meeting on gun legislation in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting could have a proposed bill on paper for other lawmakers to review in the next few days.
The Senators announced on Sunday they had reached an agreement on the broad framework for the legislation.
"There's a lot of desire on both sides to include additional things, but they were excluded in large part because of our necessity to get to 60 votes in order to get a bill," Cornyn said.
The group has been focusing on funding for mental health programs, school safety measures and on incentives for states to begin contributing data on juvenile criminal convictions or mental health episodes to the national database used for firearms background checks.
"We need to know before somebody walks in and buys a firearm when they turn 18 what their mental health and criminal record history looks like, to the extent feasible," Cornyn said.
Cornyn said the group is now turning its attention to the specific language of the bill with the goal of drafting a measure that will find widespread support.
"That's what we're working on this week. My hope is that we can complete that job in the next few days, hopefully by the end of the week, so that the bill will be available for all senators...indeed all the world...to read," he said.
Ten Republican Senators signed a statement of support for the broad outlines of the bill over the weekend, which would give it enough votes to pass in the Senate assuming all Democratic Senators vote in favor. Cornyn said he hoped the number of Republicans in support of the measure will grow.
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