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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
How AI chatbots are ending marriagesUnder The Radar When one partner forms an intimate bond with AI it can all end in tears
-
Political cartoons for November 27Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include giving thanks, speaking American, and more
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
