Senate Passes Bipartisan Gun Bill in Wake of Mass Shootings

The Senate passed a bipartisan gun safety package late Thursday night after voting to break a filibuster earlier in the day.

The legislation, known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed 65-33, with 15 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats. A bipartisan group, led by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (R-CT), first took up talks on new gun laws after recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo N.Y. and elsewhere. The bill seeks to strengthen background checks, enforce punishments for straw purchases, incentivize red flag laws and more. It would provide roughly $15 billion in funding if it becomes law, more than half of which would go toward mental health programs and school safety.

The measure now heads to the House, where is expected to pass before Congress breaks for Fourth of July despite some House GOP opposition. Polls from the left and right indicate widespread support for background checks and other measures in the bill.

The news was a top story from sources across the political spectrum. Voices on the left and center, such as Washington Post writer Paul Waldman (Left bias), often praised the bill as the biggest gun laws breakthrough in decades, and focused especially on its efforts to strengthen background checks. Some voices on the right, such as National Review's (Right bias) Editorial Board, said the bill was "ill-considered" and argued that many of its measures "are either the proper preserve of the states or provided for already within existing federal law."