US gun control: Cross-party group of senators agree limited safety measures

A bipartisan group of US senators say they have agreed a framework for potential legislation on gun safety.

The measures would include support for tougher background checks for buyers under the age of 21 and cracking down on illegal gun purchases.

But the measures fall far short of President Joe Biden’s calls for change.

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across the US on Saturday to call for stricter gun laws in the wake of two mass shootings.

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the 24 May shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

That attack, and another days earlier in Buffalo, New York, in which 10 people were killed, led to renewed calls for action on gun control in the US.

“Today, we are announcing a common sense, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities.”

Republicans made up half of the 20 lawmakers who proposed the new measures.

President Biden urged lawmakers to pass the proposals quickly, while making clear that they do not go as far as he wanted.

“Obviously, it 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,” he said in a statement.

The president has pushed for far bigger reforms – including a ban on assault rifles, which were used in the Texas and Buffalo shootings – or at least an increase in the age at which they can be purchased.