Political World Reacts to Bipartisan Gun Safety Deal

Politicians and the media reacted to the Senate's newly-released bipartisan gun safety framework on Monday. 

With an evenly divided Senate, the bipartisan deal has a better chance of becoming law than other gun bills, including those recently passed by the House. President Joe Biden signaled his approval on Sunday, saying, “the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it.” “Obviously, it does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction,” Biden added. 

The framework was approved by a group of 20 senators — including 10 Republicans whose votes would be needed to overturn a filibuster. However, that agreement could shift as senators work out the final text of the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the framework “a good first step” and pledged to bring the legislation to a vote “as soon as possible”; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the framework showed “the value of dialogue and cooperation.”

Opinion coverage was relatively limited on Monday afternoon. While voices across the spectrum were generally supportive of the bipartisan framework, coverage from the left often framed the deal as “an encouraging first step” that fell short of what was needed to stop gun violence.