Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he supports the framework on gun safety created by a bipartisan group of 20 senators, becoming the eleventh Republican to support the deal.
“For myself, I’m comfortable with the framework and if the legislation ends up reflecting the framework, I’ll be supportive,” McConnell told reporters.
NEW: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he supports a bipartisan framework on gun safety and will likely vote for legislation that reflects it.
This would make 11 Republicans in favor of the bill which would likely pass the Senate.
pic.twitter.com/kkjK52fLMa— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) June 14, 2022
With the support of eleven Republicans and every Senate Democrat, legislation that mirrors the framework would likely have enough votes to overcome a filibuster.
The deal reached by the bipartisan group of senators includes funding to help states pass and implement “red flag” laws to allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from people deemed dangerous. It also includes billions in new funding for mental health and school safety, including money for the national build out of community mental-health clinics, according to Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), who helped spearhead the bipartisan negotiations along with Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas).
The framework aims to close the “boyfriend loophole” to prevent violent spouses or domestic abusers from obtaining a firearm if they are convicted of abuse against their partner.
The legislation also aims to provide “clarification of the laws regarding who needs to register as a licensed gun dealer, to make sure all truly commercial sellers are doing background checks,” Murphy said.
The package would include an enhanced background check for under-21 gun buyers, as well.
The group of senators began meeting last month to reach a deal on gun reforms following a spate of mass shootings that shook the nation, including a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y. The suspects in both shootings were 18 years old.