Yesterday, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, historic legislation that will reduce gun violence and save lives.
The President has worked on this issue his entire career, and knows both how hard it is and what it takes – he was there 30 years ago, the last time this country passed meaningful gun safety laws.
We have lost too many to gun violence. When the President traveled to Uvalde, he heard a clear message: do something. Yesterday, we did.
This bill doesn’t do everything the President wanted want it to, but it does include actions he has long called for and that will save lives:
It funds crisis intervention, including red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and to others.
It finally closes what’s known as the “boyfriend loophole,” so if you assault your girlfriend or boyfriend you can’t buy or own a gun.
It requires young people aged 18-21 to undergo enhanced background checks.
It includes the first federal law that makes gun trafficking and straw purchases distinct federal crimes.
It clarifies who needs to register as a federally licensed gun dealer and run background checks before selling a gun.
And it provides historic funding to address the youth mental health crisis in this country, especially the trauma experienced by survivors of gun violence.
And it invests in anti-violence programs to work directly with people who are most likely to commit gun crimes or become victims of gun crimes.
At a time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, bipartisan lawmakers and President Biden delivered for the American people.
And the President believes that if we can reach a compromise on guns, we ought to be able to reach compromise on other critical issues, from veteran’s health care to cutting-edge American innovation and more.