With criticism of the Supreme Court, US President Joe Biden signed this Saturday (25) a bipartisan law to combat gun violence. The measure represents the biggest change in the country’s legislation on the subject since the 1990s.
“This is a monumental day,” Biden said at the White House, alongside his wife, Jill. “By God’s will, [a lei] It will save many lives.”
The new law includes greater background checks on gun buyers and allocates more federal funds to mental health programs. The content was approved by the House this Friday (24) by 234 votes to 193. Before, it passed the Senate, by 65 to 33
The text was signed by Biden two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the carrying of guns in public cannot be restricted by state laws, which makes room for more armed people to circulate on the streets, and a day after the suspension of the constitutional right to abortion at least court. This Saturday, the president criticized the decisions of the court.
“Is the Supreme Court broken? The Supreme Court made some terrible decisions,” Biden said. “Jill and I both know how painful and devastating decisions are for so many Americans.”
The bill to combat gun violence was introduced by Democrats and Republicans as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Although considered modest by the Democratic Party, the law is the biggest advance in gun control since the 1990s, when a broad restriction on assault weapons, capable of firing more shots in less time, was adopted. The measure, however, expired in 2004 and was not renewed.
In the background check, the law provides that the evaluation for gun buyers under the age of 21 will be carried out within ten working days, so that authorities have more time to review the history of school and mental health infractions. The text also determines the expansion of the power of authorities to confiscate weapons from people who are acting in a threatening way.
The law sets even more federal funds to strengthen school security, expand mental health programs and efforts to identify people who could commit shootings.
The proposals gained traction after two gun massacres shocked the country and fueled the debate for greater control over access to weapons. On May 14, an 18-year-old man killed ten black people at a supermarket in the city of Buffalo, New York. Ten days later, another 18-year-old man killed 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
