The bipartisan group includes Murphy, Cornyn, Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo. Cornyn is a conservative from Texas, where the deal may be unpopular, but it may boost his deal-making bona fides. The agreement has to be turned into legislative text and get the support of 60 senators in a floor vote. Although Democrats have pressed for gun legislation in the aftermath of previous mass shootings, the slaughter last month of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde prompted a more focused response on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the agreement in a statement as “a good first step” for Congress to end “persistent inaction” on the nation’s gun violence epidemic.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 13, 2022 02:36 UTC