President Biden on Saturday signed into law the first major federal gun reform bill in three decades.
"God willing, it's going to save a lot of lives," Biden said after signing the bill as his wife, first lady Jill Biden, looked on. Biden also said the Supreme Court "has made some terrible decisions," alluding to the court's ruling on Thursday that Americans have the right to carry handguns for self-defense and to its Friday decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
The legislation was crafted by a bipartisan team headed by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in response to mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
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The gun safety bill — which encourages states to pass "red flag" laws, closes a loophole that allowed some abusive romantic partners to purchase firearms, and directs billions of dollars to mental health services — passed the Senate on Thursday night with the support of 15 Republicans and all 50 Democrats.
It passed the House 234-193 the following day, with 14 House Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
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