WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a law on the first major federal gun reform in three decades, days after a ruling he condemned by the Supreme Court expanding the rights of gun owners.
“God willing, it will save a lot of lives,” Biden told the White House after signing the bill with his wife, Jill, next to him.
The two-party bill came just weeks after mass shootings in Uwalde and Buffalo killed more than 30 people, including 19 children in a primary school.
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The law includes provisions to help states keep weapons out of the hands of those who are considered to pose a danger to themselves or others.
The reform came the same week as the Supreme Court expanded the rights of gun owners, saying on Thursday for the first time that the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s ability to carry a gun in public for self-defense.
“The Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions,” Biden told reporters after that decision and another on Friday, which abolished the right to abortion across the country.
US President Joe Biden Signs S. 2938: Law on Bipartisan Safe Communities in Law from Roosevelt’s White House Room while First Lady Jill Biden Stands Next to Him in Washington, DC, USA, June 25, 2022. REUTERS / Elizabeth Frantz
Arms control has long been a divisive issue in the nation, with several attempts to impose new controls on arms sales failing each time.
Biden, who seeks to improve declining public approval ratings ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections to control Congress, has made securing arms control victories part of his campaign for voters.
The new law blocks the sale of weapons to people convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners and imposes measures against the sale of weapons to buyers convicted of domestic violence. It also provides new federal funding to states that administer “red flag” laws designed to remove weapons from people considered dangerous to themselves and others.
It does not prohibit the sale of assault rifles or high-capacity magazines. But it is taking some steps to verify the past, allowing access for the first time to information on significant crimes committed by minors.
“At a time when it seems impossible to do anything in Washington, we are doing something important: if we can compromise on weapons, we should be able to compromise on other critical issues,” Biden said before leaving for Germany. Summit of the Group of Seven Rich Nations.
“I know there’s still a lot of work to do and I’ll never give up. But it’s a monumental day.”
He said he would receive families of victims of gun violence and lawmakers at a White House event on July 11 to mark the passage of the gun safety law.
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Report by Trevor Hanniat; Additional reports by Lucia Muticani; edited by John Stone Street and Chizu Nomiyama
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