Biden Signs US Gun Control Bill... "Will Save Lives"

Authorities to Review Criminal Records and Mental Health of Minors Purchasing Firearms
Texas Uvalde Elementary School Shooting Incident Spurs Regulatory Proposal
US Media Self-Assesses: "Gun Control Revived After 30 Years"

U.S. President Joe Biden. Photo by AP, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] U.S. President Joe Biden has signed into law a gun control bill that passed Congress.

According to foreign media including AFP, on the 25th (local time), President Biden signed the gun control bill at the White House and said, "(This bill) will save many lives."

The bill includes provisions allowing the provision of juvenile crime records for background checks on gun buyers aged 18 to 21. It also includes a clause that authorities can review the mental health status of gun buyers under 21, who are considered relatively immature, for at least ten days.

One of the key points is providing incentives to states that adopt the 'red flag' law. The red flag law strengthens penalties for illegal gun sales and allows temporary seizure of firearms from individuals deemed dangerous.

However, the bill did not include some provisions that President Biden had requested, such as banning the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

President Biden emphasized, "I did not get everything I wanted in the bill," adding, "I know there is much more work to be done, and I am well aware that much greater effort is needed. Still, today is a monumental day."

Earlier, on the 23rd, the U.S. Senate passed the bill, which was prepared in response to the recent Texas elementary school shooting tragedy last month. The House of Representatives also passed the bill in a vote the following day.

Local media and others have evaluated that this is the first substantial progress in gun control in the U.S. in about 30 years since the 1993 Assault Weapons Ban. The Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms classified as assault weapons for civilian use; it was enacted in 1994 and expired in 2004.

The background for the U.S. enacting this gun control bill is the surge in public opinion for gun regulation following the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde last month. Although calls for regulation existed before, efforts were repeatedly blocked by Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

At the time, 10 people were killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and 21 people, including 19 children and 2 teachers, were victims of indiscriminate gunfire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Local media and the U.S. define a 'mass shooting' as an incident where four or more casualties occur excluding the shooter in the same event.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.