US Senate reaches narrow gun safety deal

WASHINGTON－A group of bipartisan senators in the United States announced a narrow gun safety deal on Sunday amid public disappointment about political inaction.

The plan, endorsed by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, includes measures to crack down on criminals who illegally straw purchase and traffic guns, strengthen criminal background check requirements for gun buyers younger than 21, and fund mental health services.

Both sides touted it as a victory, but the deal fell short of the White House's proposals to ban assault weapons and raise the minimum age of purchasing certain firearms from 18 to 21, among other things.

"This deal is heavily influenced by the canard that gun violence in the US is largely a mental health problem and not an access to guns problem," tweeted Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and CNN medical analyst.

"It will create the illusion that Congress has finally done something about guns in the US."

US President Joe Biden said in a statement that the framework "does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades".

Leaders hope to push any agreement into law rapidly before the political momentum, which has been stirred by recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. Participants cautioned that final details and legislative language have yet to be completed, meaning fresh disputes and delays might emerge.

Actions urged

The senators' announcement came a day after people gathered across the US to decry rising gun violence and urge politicians to take action in the wake of several mass shootings over the past few weeks. Last month, a gunman broke into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers in a rampage that has sent shock waves across the US and renewed contentious gun debate.

According to the latest data from Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered 265 mass shootings over the past five months, with more than 19,500 lives lost to gun violence.

Early on Sunday, police said two people were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting at an Indiana nightclub.

Officers responding to reports of shots fired around 2 am in Gary, southeast of Chicago, said they found two people who had been shot and were unresponsive. A 34-year-old man near the entrance of the nightclub and a 26-year-old woman found inside the club were declared dead after being taken to a local hospital.

Four other people were also wounded, including one in critical condition, police said.

Agencies - Xinhua