US President Joe Biden signed a landmark bipartisan initiative on guns in the North American country and assured that “lives will be saved”.
Biden described the bill as “the most important law” of its kind in “the last 30 years”.
Citing a litany of mass shootings from Las Vegas to Parkland, Biden said people have for too long urged the government to “just do something” about the deadly problem. “Today we did it”he claimed.
“Although this bill does not do everything I wanted, it includes actions that I have long called for and that will save lives,” he said at the White House before leaving for important diplomatic summits in Europe.
The bipartisan bill to curb gun violence that seemed inconceivable a month ago in the United States has passed Congressin the broadest legislative response in decades to the massacres that have shocked, if not surprised, Americans.
The House of Representatives voted on the package of 13,000 million dollarsone month after an armed man massacred 19 children and two teachers in a primary school in UvaldeTexas. In Buffalo, New York, a white man, motivated by racism, authorities say, is accused of killing 10 customers from a grocery store a few days before the massacre in Uvalde.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), called the project “saving lives.”
“On behalf of the House, we applaud the Senate for passing its gun violence prevention package in a strong bipartisan votePelosi said. “Every day, gun violence steals lives and scars communities – and this crisis demands urgent action. While we must do more, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a step forward that will help protect our children and save lives.”
After the two massacres —with a few days apart and whose victims were defenseless people who aroused the immediate solidarity of the people—, Congress decided that it should act, especially in an election year. Negotiators from both blocs in the Senate held talks behind closed doors until they worked out a compromise solution that approves moderate, though shocking, measures to make such massacres less likely.
“The families in Uvalde and Buffalo and so many tragic shootings that preceded them, have demanded action. And tonight, we perform.”US President Joe Biden said after the approval. He asked the camera to be sent to him quickly. “Children in schools and towns will be safer with this,” he said.
The law would require stricter background checks for younger gun buyers, ban ownership by domestic violence offenders and help states pass alarm laws to disarm people deemed dangerous. Additionally, it would fund local programs for school safety, mental health, and violence prevention.
The Senate approved the initiative on Thursday by a vote of 65 to 33. Fifteen Republicans — a remarkable number for a party that has blocked limits on gun ownership for years — joined 50 Democrats and their two independent allies to pass the bill.
(With information from AP and AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com