Biden Signs Gun Control Bill Into Law

On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden has signed into law the bipartisan federal handgun control bill. The legislation comes in the wake of a wave of gun violence that hit several US cities in recent weeks.

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"Today we say 'It's more than enough.' It's a monumental day,'" Joe Biden said as he signed the document in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

The new Safer Communities Act will allocate $13 billion to combat gun control insecurity. It includes $750 million to help states implement and run red flag programs, as well as other crisis intervention programs, such as mental health courts, drug courts and veterans courts.

In addition, the legislation enhances background checks for firearms purchasers under the age of 21 and restricts firearms possession by convicted domestic abusers.

The bill also directs federal officials to establish a Federal Information Center on Evidence-Based Practices in School Safety to identify and publish recommendations to improve school safety for use by educational agencies, law enforcement, health care professionals, and the general public.

The document was approved by the House with a margin of 234 in favor and 193 against. A total of 14 Republicans joined the Democrats in approving the bill.

The day before, the Senate passed the measure by a 65-33 vote, with 15 Republicans crossing party lines. Lawmakers began work on the long-awaited bill in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers lost their lives.

So far this year, the US has experienced a wave of gun violence. On June 9, a man opened fire in a factory in the city of Smithburg (Maryland), leaving three people dead.

The Smithsburg shooting occurred less than a week after a mass shooting at a medical center in Tulsa (Oklahoma) in which four people were killed.

On May 15, five people were injured and one person died inside a church in Laguna Woods, California, the day after a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where an 18-year-old gunman killed 10 people.