Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A group of 10 Democratic and 10 Republican Senate negotiators struck a deal Sunday on a set of gun safety measures in attempt to reach a bipartisan compromise in an evenly divided U.S. Senate.
The deal includes mental health and safety resources for schools, enhanced background checks to give authorities time to check mental health records for any prospective gun buyer under the age of 21 as well as the ability to enact red flag laws that could prohibit ownership of a gun if someone is deemed to be dangerous or threatening.
This deal is a shortlist compared to the sweeping gun reform package passed in the House of Representatives last week, which included raising the age to buy assault weapons from 18 to 21.
Congressman Brian Higgins believes that this compromise does not come close to what needs to be done about guns in this country.
"I think it's a hopeful sign and to me, it falls short," said Congressman Higgins.
"To not to have comprehensive background checks and a ban on assault weapons falls considerably short from what we need. If you look at all of these shootings from Sandy Hook on, to our most recent here in Buffalo, you see that there is a greater need for more substantial gun safety. This is not about a compromise so that everybody goes home and they pretend that all this stuff is going to change. We have mass shootings in this country. We've had 200 so far this year. 110 people die of gun violence every single day in America. It is a hopeful sign that there's a bipartisan agreement in the Senate, but they should be following the lead of the House," Congressman Higgins said.
The congressman thinks that this bipartisan effort is a good first step, but will not ultimately solve the problems in this county and decisive action is required.
"We need to get to the bottom of these issues. A bunch of people getting together for a week and coming up with a compromise is a good first step. But I will tell you, the scourge of mass shootings in America is not going to stop with this. It's not going to stop with this. You need to take decisive action and I don't know what is in their hearts. I don't know what is in their minds, but to pass legislation that is suboptimal in the circumstances that we dealt with here in Buffalo is is not the kind of response that we need. It's a hopeful step forward that hopefully we can build on to do something more substantial," said the congressman.
The bipartisan deal includes a provision that expands background checks to include juvenile records of any prospective gun buyer under the age of 21.
"I want to see the language on that provision. It sounds better, but I'm more concerned about what it does in practice. What's the definition of expansion? Who does it include? Who doesn't it include? These are the kinds of things that legislative language often is very nebulous about. We need specifics," said Congressman Higgins.
This compromise bill also has a provision to enforce red flag laws, which the Congressman believes could have prevented the mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue if the red flag law was enforced.
"There's a good provision in this compromise bill where states would receive more money to more effectively enforce red flag laws. "If you accept that red flag laws in the states are good, why wouldn't you nationalize that? What the red flag law basically says is that certain people should not have weapons, because they are incapable. Most gun owners are law abiding, they're there. They're focused on safety. Certain people in our society should not have guns, that's not denying anybody's right. But it's denying the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the 10 people in Buffalo, who died because of a racist attack," said Congressman Higgins.
"We've had 200 mass shootings in America in the first six months of this year. Do I believe that the Senate compromise is going to stop that? I don't. I don't because there are no easy answers. You have to be aggressive in order to address the problem at hand. This is not about what a bunch of Senators think. The real question is: What can be most effective in stopping these mass shootings?"
To listen to the Congressman's full remarks, see the player below: