This was announced on Sunday by a bipartisan group of US senators an agreement to curb armed violence after the mass shootings in Texas and New York, but the measures envisaged by the pact are far from the demands made by President Joe Biden.

The agreement includes tightening of background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21, more resources for states to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed at risk and combat illegal trade.

«Today we announce a proposal of common sense, bipartisan to protect American childrenkeep our schools safe and reduce the threat of violence across our country, ”the group of 20 Democratic and Republican lawmakers said in a statement.

“Our plan increases the resources needed for mental health, improves school safety and student support, and helps ensure that dangerous criminals and those considered to be mentally ill I can’t buy weapons“, they indicated.

Biden support

The senators also asked a increased investment in mental health and safety services in schoolsand the inclusion of domestic violence convictions and restraining orders in the national background check database.

On May 24, Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, opened fire at Robb Elementary School located in Uvalde, Texas. killing 21 people and injuring seventeen others.

After shooting his grandmother in his home, severely wounding her, he went to school and fired outside for about five minutes, then entered with an AR-15 style rifle through an open side door, meeting no resistance.

Other measures

Biden welcomed the announcement and urged lawmakers to pass it quickly, although he made it clear. the measures do not go as I wanted.

“Obviously not everything I think is necessary, but it reflects important steps in the right directionand it would be the most important arms safety legislation passed by Congress in recent decades, “the president said in a statement.

“With bipartisan support, there is no excuse for the delay,” he added.

“Every day that passes, more children are killed in this country. It is important that the agreement reaches my office as soon as possible so that I can ratify it and we can use these measures to save lives, “she said.

The president had called for much more substantial reforms, such as a ban on the public sale of assault rifles or at least an increase in the age authorized to purchase them, as well as strengthening customer background checks.

The Democrat-controlled (lower) House of Representatives passed a broad package of proposals that included raising the purchase age for most semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.

But the party does not have the necessary 60 votess to advance to the Senate, leaving the bipartisan deal as the only hope for federal action to counter widespread gun violence.

Source: AFP, EFE and AP

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