Xinhua
26 Jun 2022, 02:05 GMT+10
The bill enhances background checks for gun buyers aged 18-21, makes getting firearms through straw purchases or trafficking a federal offense and clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer.
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law what has been described as a gun safety bill as shootings continue to take a toll on the nation.
The legislation, signed on Saturday morning, takes effect a month after a gunman broke into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers in a rampage that has triggered nationwide demonstrations against gun violence and political inaction.
There have been more than 21,000 deaths from gun violence and 281 mass shootings across the United States so far this year, according to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive.
"I know there's much more to do," Biden said from the White House before leaving for a trip to Europe.
The bill enhances background checks for gun buyers aged 18-21, makes getting firearms through straw purchases or trafficking a federal offense and clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer.
It also includes funding for mental health treatment and for states to administer so-called "Red Flag" laws that allow law enforcement -- with a court order -- to temporarily seize guns from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Two days earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York state law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home, which is likely to complicate efforts to curb gun violence.
"I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling," Biden said in a statement on Thursday. "This ruling contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all."
Guns are deeply ingrained in U.S. society and the nation's political and social debates.
The United States has more guns than any other nation in the world -- and that number continues to grow, mainly because of its constitution that protects the right to keep and bear arms and lobbying from gun rights groups.
American gun owners possess 393.3 million weapons, or 120 firearms per 100 citizens, according to a 2018 report by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization.
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationOf all the subjects taught in the nation's public schools, few have generated as much controversy of late as the ...
The crucial part for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been stuck in Germany following repairs in CanadaGerman Chancellor Olaf ...
The tennis great was easily beaten in the second round of the Canadian OpenTennis icon Serena Williams' farewell to the ...
As Russian forces advanced in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, volunteers raced against time under deadly fire to convince the last ...
Bangkok - Vast oil and gas profits continue flowing to, and propping up, Myanmar's military junta a year and a ...
SYDNEY - Australian and other scientists are warning that runaway climate change could melt the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, causing ...
ZAGREB, Croatia: Authorities have said that a weekend bus crash near Varazdin in Croatia killed 12 passengers and injured 32.The ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. will participate in a joint military exercise in mid-October with India, less than 62 miles from ...
SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea has launched a domestically manufactured lunar orbiter that took off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space ...
MOSCOW, Russia: A leading Russian scientist in the field of hypersonic flight, Dr. Alexander Shiplyuk, has been arrested on suspicion ...
LOS ANGELES, California: During a meeting that was disrupted by protesters this week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. Justice Department announced this week that former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vazquez has been arrested in ...