President Joe Biden signed a gun control bill into law Saturday that gives financial grants to states for “red-flag” laws and increases background check stipulations for 18 to 21-year-olds, following Republican support.
The bill, dubbed the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” passed after making it through Congress earlier this week with 15 Republicans in the Senate supporting the bill and 14 House Republicans voting in favor.
According to the White House, the law “enhances certain restrictions and penalties on firearms purchases; promotes evidence-based best practices for school safety; authorizes grants to expand access to mental health services; and appropriates emergency funding for mental health resources and school safety measures.”
The Biden administration specifically thanked Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Coryn (R-TX), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Senators began working on a gun bill following the horrific shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
Biden claimed that “lives will be saved” because of the law.
The legislation is considered the most expansive gun control legislation in decades, and was supported by Republican leadership in the Senate, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Gun rights groups have criticized the legislation and the Republicans who voted for it.
Gun Owners of America (GOA) said that the legislation “would encourage Backdoor Universal Background Checks by redefining many private sellers as gun dealers, financially incentivize states to enact unconstitutional ‘red-flag’ laws, and would allow for so-called ‘enhanced background checks,’ which are arbitrary delays in transferring firearms to adults not yet 21 years-old.”
“Once again, so-called ‘conservative’ Senators are making clear they believe that the rights of American citizens can be compromised away,” Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, said.
Aside from McConnell, Coryn, and Tillis, other Republican Senators who voted for the bill included Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Todd Young (R-IN).
The House easily passed the bill by a vote of 234-193 before it moved on to Biden’s desk.
Republicans who voted for the bill included Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Fred Upton (R-MI), Mike Turner (R-OH), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), David Joyce (R-OH), John Katko (R-NY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL.), Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Tom Rice (R-SC).
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.