Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the first substantial federal gun legislation in three decades, days after condemning a Supreme Court decision strengthening gun owners’ rights.
“God willing, it’s going to save a lot of lives” Biden remarked at the White House after signing the law with his wife Jill.
The bipartisan bill was drafted within weeks of the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, in which more than 30 individuals, including 19 elementary school students, were slain.
The law has provisions to assist states in keeping firearms out of the hands of those who pose a risk to themselves or others.
The reform occurred during the same week that the Supreme Court enlarged gun owners’ rights, declaring on Thursday for the first time that the U.S. Constitution protects a person’s right to carry a pistol for self-defense in public.
Biden told reporters that the Supreme Court had made “terrible decisions” following this and Friday’s verdict that abolished the right to abortion nationally.
Gun regulation has long been a controversial topic in the United States, with repeated failures to implement additional restrictions on gun sales.
Biden made winning victories on gun control part of his campaign pitch to voters ahead of the midterm elections for control of Congress on November 8. Biden is attempting to repair his sinking public approval numbers ahead of the midterm elections.
The new law prohibits the sale of firearms to anyone convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners and restricts the sale of firearms to individuals convicted of domestic violence. It also gives new federal assistance to states that implement “red flag” laws to confiscate firearms from individuals regarded to be a danger to themselves or others.
It does not prohibit the sale of assault rifles or magazines with a high capacity. However, it does advance background checks by permitting access for the first time to information on serious juvenile offenses.
“At this time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential: If we can reach compromise on guns, we oughta be able to reach compromise on other critical issues” Biden said prior to departing for the Group of Seven summit in Germany.
“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never gonna give up. But this is a monumental day”
He stated that he would host lawmakers and families of victims of gun violence at a White House ceremony on July 11 to commemorate the passing of the gun safety measure.
