The bipartisan gun safety bill on Thursday has moved forward to a final vote amid recent mass shootings in the U.S.
In a 62-28 vote, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is now heading for a final vote to be taken on Friday, right before Congress adjourns for a two-week break.
The bill would implement an enhanced review process for people who want to purchase firearms and are under the age of 21, as well as penalties for straw purchases, more funding for school resource officers, and an expansion of mental health services in schools.
A bipartisan group of senators negotiated the gun bill after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last month, killing 19 children and two teachers.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
The Democratic-led House has already passed separate gun control measures that go further than the Senate bill. If the Senate legislation passes, it would also need to pass the House before heading to President Joe Biden’s desk for signing.
Biden has urged lawmakers to pass more gun control laws such as banning ghost guns, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.
“As a nation, we have to ask when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?” he said after the Uvalde shooting.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called on leaders to take action while speaking at an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
“Enough is enough,” Harris said. “As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again.”
According to the Gun Violence Archives, there have been 120 mass shootings nationwide since the start of the year, which averages out to more than once a day.
