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President Biden Signs the Safer Communities Act

On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the first major federal gun safety legislation passed in decades entitled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, authored by Sens. Cornyn (R-TX), Tillis (R-NC), Murphy (D-CT), and Sinema (D-AZ).  The legislation

  • includes $750 million to help states implement and operate crisis intervention programs;
  • implements and manages red flag programs;
  • implements crisis intervention programs such as mental health courts, drug courts and veterans court;
  • closes a loophole in domestic violence law, the "boyfriend loophole,” which barred individuals who have been convicted of domestic violence crimes against spouses, partners with whom they shared children or partners with whom they cohabitated, from having guns;
  • encourages states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System with grants, as well as implements a new protocol for checking those records;
  • apprehends individuals who sell guns as primary sources of income but have previously evaded registering as federally licensed firearms dealers; and
  • includes funding increases for mental health programs and school security.
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