Republicans may have finally found a gun restriction law they can support

Senate Republicans back "red flag" laws
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After years of blocking any measure that would restrict gun ownership, congressional Republicans are now "coalescing around legislation to help law enforcement take guns from those who pose an imminent danger — a measure that, if signed into law, would be the most significant gun control legislation enacted in 20 years," The New York Times reports. The back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, have put Republicans under intense pressure to do something about gun violence, and "red flag" laws appear to be the most likely vehicle for action.

Congressional Democrats, who have already passed universal background check legislation in the House, are also on board with a red flag law, though some want to add on stronger gun control measures to any legislation passed in the Senate. Gun control advocates are enthusiastic about red flag measures, also called "extreme risk protection orders," and the National Rifle Association has been fighting them in states for years.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.