Title
Urging the United States Congress to pass legislation to effectuate the bi-partisan agreement on gun violence prevention recently negotiated in the United States Senate.
Body
WHEREAS, On Sunday June 12th, a group of senators announced a bipartisan framework for potential gun control policy in response to recent mass shootings. If the framework leads to the enactment of legislation, it will signal a turn from years of gun violence that has yielded little action from Congress; and
WHEREAS, In recent months there has been multiple deadly mass shootings, such as those in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and here in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of June 7th the United States has had 246 mass shootings so far in 2022, and more than 18,800 people have died due to gun violence overall this year; and
WHEREAS, The framework was created by a bipartisan group of 20 senators, including 10 Republicans, led by democratic senators Chris Murphy and Krysten Sinema, and republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis; and
WHEREAS, Bipartisan support is crucial because the biggest obstacle to enacting the measure is in the split Senate, where at least 10 republican votes will be needed to attain the usual 60-vote threshold for approval; and
WHEREAS, In its current form, the compromise would make the juvenile records of gun buyers under age 21 available when they undergo background checks. The suspects in Buffalo and Uvalde were both 18, and many of the attackers who have committed other mass shootings in recent years have been young adults. It would also provide aid to bolster school safety and mental health programs; and
WHEREAS, The agreement would also offer money to states to implement "red flag" laws that make it easier to temporarily take guns from people considered potentially violent, and would include the "boyfriend loophole" which would broaden firearm restrictions on those who have abused their romantic partners; ...
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