How the Bipartisan Gun Bill Could Still Fall Apart

Something highly irregular is happening in the United States Senate: Bipartisan gun reform talks haven’t completely collapsed several weeks after they began. You might even say they’re progressing.

A group of twenty senators, including 10 Republicans, signed off on a rough outline of a deal over the weekend in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. The compromise, according to the leaders of the negotiation, would provide resources to states to administer or pass “red-flag laws” that allows authorities to intervene and seize weapons from those deemed (through the courts) a danger. It would close the so-called “boyfriend loophole” that allows certain dating partners with records of abuse to pass background checks. It doesn’t raise the gun ownership age to 21, but it does enhance background checks for younger buyers. It cracks down on straw purchasers, invests in mental health programs for young people and families, and offers more resources for school safety measures.

This comes up well short of the sort of gun control package Democrats agree is necessary. Were they in a stronger midterm position, they might reject such a meek response to unspeakable tragedy and instead hammer Republicans for blocking meaningful reform.