The Senate on Thursday passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, instituting expanded background checks for gun buyers under age 21, closing a loophole that allowed domestic partners convicted of abuse to obtain weapons, and incentivizing states to create red flag laws, fund school safety and mental health programs, among other provisions, the first ever national firearms control legislation in decades, spurred by horrific slaughter in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas in May.
It fell far short of a ban on assault rifles and universal background checks, but it’s a small step in the right direction. The bill’s passage comes on the same day the Supreme Court lowered the bar for concealed carry permits in six states, New York included, though Justices Roberts and Kavanaugh stopped short of allowing an absolute apocalyptic battle royale in all 50 states.