WASHINGTON, Jun 25 – US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the first major revolution in state firearms in 30 years, following a Supreme Court ruling that expanded the rights of gun owners.
“God willing, it will save many lives,” Biden said in the White House after signing the bill with his wife Jill next to him.
The joint bill came just weeks after a mass shooting in Uvalde and Buffalo killed more than 30 people, including 19 elementary school children.
The law includes provisions to help states keep guns out of the hands of those who are considered a danger to themselves or to others.
The changes came in the same week as the Supreme Court extended the rights of gun owners, and on Thursday it said the US Constitution protects a person’s ability to carry a firearm in public to protect himself.
“The Supreme Court has made bad decisions,” Biden told reporters after the ruling, and another Friday abolished the right to have abortions nationwide.
Gun control has long been a divisive issue in the nation with several attempts to put new controls on the arms trade failing from time to time.
Biden, who is aiming to develop back-to-back levels of public approval ahead of the November 8 mid-term election to control Congress, has made winning a gun control part of his campaign for voters.
The new law prohibits the sale of firearms to convicted sex offenders and prohibits the sale of firearms to convicted sex offenders. It also provided new organizational support to regulate the “red flag” laws aimed at removing guns from people who were considered dangerous to them and others.
It does not restrict the sale of assault rifles or powerful magazines. But it does take some steps to test the environment by allowing access, for the first time, to information on serious crimes committed by children.
“At the moment when it seems impossible to do anything in Washington, we are doing something important: If we can reach an agreement on guns, we should be able to reach an agreement on some sensitive issues,” Biden said before a visit to Germany. A conference of seven rich countries.
“I know there is a lot of work to be done, and I will never give up. But this is a day of remembrance.”
He said he would host the families of victims of gun violence and legislatures at a White House event on July 11 to mark the passing of a firearms safety law.