The United States Senate has passed a gun control bill – the most significant firearms legislation in nearly 30 years.
Fifteen Republicans joined Democrats in the upper chamber of Congress to approve the measure by 65 votes to 33.
The bill will now have to pass in the House of Representatives before President Biden can sign it into law.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauded the bill’s passage and said in a statement that it would advance in the House on Friday, with a vote coming as soon as possible.
More than 20,800 people have been killed in gun violence in the US in 2022, including through homicide and suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit research group.
The bill would strengthen background checks for gun purchases under the age of 21, provide funding to enforce “red-flag” legislation, and tighten down on straw buyers.
President Biden has advocated for further measures, such as a ban on assault rifles, which were used in the mass killings in Texas and Buffalo, or at the very least raising the age at which they can be purchased.
