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Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Revealed and Finalized (Vote in the Senate coming ASAP) — FIRST BIPARTISAN GUN LEGISLATION IN 30 YEARS

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Rychu

Rychu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,263
Utah, USA

View the full thread (it's 9 tweets) for the full breakdown!

For those of you who have Twitter embeds blocked at work:
  • Funds red flag laws for every state that allow courts to take guns away from people who are a danger to themselves
  • Closing the boyfriend loophole: if you assault your girlfriend or ex girlfriend, you lose your right to own a gun
  • For under 21 year old gun buyers: enhanced background checks including calling the local police department to see if kid is in mental crisis. This check has a 3-10 day cool off period for young people before they're allowed to purchase the gun.
  • Banning straw purchases
  • Bill clarifies who needs to register as a federal firearms dealer to make sure every commercial gun seller is doing background checks
  • $11 billion investment in mental healthcare reform building nationwide mental clinics
  • $2 billion in community safety by funding community anti-violence programs in our cities, and school safety initiatives, by increasing funds for the existing bipartisan STOP School Violence program.
 
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,168
It better than nothing and more than I expected.


So yay I guess? But I am DEEPLY skeptical that this gets through the Senate. Especially since the Republicans have the majority thanks to Manchin and Sinema.
 
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PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
115,829
Why do I get a dreadful feeling that even something as simple as this will die in the Senate?
 
P-Bo

P-Bo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 17, 2019
4,405
Am super skeptical, but sincerely hoping this passes.
 
kingslunk

kingslunk

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
937
My complaint is none of what's in this bill would've prevented the Vegas shooting. But im glad theres at least something.
 
OP
OP
Rychu

Rychu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,263
Utah, USA
kingslunk said:
My complaint is none of what's in this bill would've prevented the Vegas shooting. But im glad theres at least something.
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For sure. We need to ban AR-15's, AK-47's and we need to ban high capacity magazines.

But these laws could've prevented the Uvalde shooting and the Buffalo shooting, given both of these were situations of kids being in crisis and threatening to shoot up places, etc.
 
Tavernade

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,635
Closing the boyfriend loophole seems kind of massive, assuming it's utilised properly.
 
sbenji

sbenji

Member
Jul 25, 2019
1,882
Funding red flag laws seems to mean there are no red flag laws. The removal of weapons from unstable domestic situations is a big plus. I guess it is better than doing literally nothing.
 
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OP
Rychu

Rychu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,263
Utah, USA
HardTimesFamilyPride said:
So is this saying that they're still doing the thing where if a background check doesn't come back after a few days you can just go ahead and buy the gun?
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It says 3-10 days. We don't know the full extent of this background check but it says it is enhanced. Maybe the local police department will do a welfare check on you and get you taken for a mental evaluation or something if you're under 21? And if you pass then you can buy the gun after so many days? Not sure. Maybe we do know, I'm not going to read the full long bill text of course but I would think media would report on it if we knew.
 
PCfromNYC

PCfromNYC

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,333
Question: How would anyone know if a gun being bought is a straw purchase or not? Like, what's to stop someone from purchasing a gun saying it's for themselves, and later they give it to their under 21 child?
 
Mr_Antimatter

Mr_Antimatter

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,571
It's better then nothing.

Would need a super majority in the senate and scotus to get anything better passed.
 
PBalfredo

PBalfredo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,497
It's depressing that such no-brainer policies are treated like groundbreaking progress in this political climate. But good policies passing can beget support for more in the future. Though we really need good stat tracking on gun violence to go with this.
 
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,168
Rychu said:
For sure. We need to ban AR-15's, AK-47's and we need to ban high capacity magazines.

But these laws could've prevented the Uvalde shooting and the Buffalo shooting, given both of these were situations of kids being in crisis and threatening to shoot up places, etc.
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Outright bans on stuff like the AR-15 and other similar style rifles like that are never going to happen. There are too many already in private hands and there is no reasonable way to get them out of said hands. High capacity magazines being banned might be possible though.


The best that we can hope at this point is more legislation like that that actively limits their availability, their price, the wait period involved, the background checks, and the punishments for possessing them illegally.
 
dots

dots

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,893
Coyote Starrk said:
It better than nothing and more than I expected.


So yay I guess? But I am DEEPLY skeptical that this gets through the Senate. Especially since the Republicans have the majority thanks to Manchin and Sinema.
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It is more likely to pass the Senate than the House where progressives may tank it for being imperfect.
 
Autumn

Autumn

Avenger
Apr 1, 2018
6,346
I like the boyfriend loophole law. That will differently help.

But this seems like the states have the power to implement the laws, right?
 
plagiarize

plagiarize

It's not a loop. It's a spiral.
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
27,561
Cape Cod, MA
Maya Fey said:
$11 billion for new mental health clinics seems like a big win. That could have a lot of good effects
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Yes! I've been pushing for Dems to call that 'mental health' bluff for *years*, because if the GOP are even considering more money for mental health, we should fucking do it. Even if it's basically nothing to do with gun crime in actuality. It's funding that is going to measurably impact a lot of people in positive ways.

Dremorak said:
Why would it be "assault your girlfriend" and not "assault a human being in general"?
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You know why.
 
HardTimesFamilyPride

HardTimesFamilyPride

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,055
Appalachia
Rychu said:
It says 3-10 days. We don't know the full extent of this background check but it says it is enhanced. Maybe the local police department will do a welfare check on you and get you taken for a mental evaluation or something if you're under 21? And if you pass then you can buy the gun after so many days? Not sure. Maybe we do know, I'm not going to read the full long bill text of course but I would think media would report on it if we knew.
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I'm gonna go thru the text of the bill but what I'm saying is, currently in the US, if a background check doesn't come back within 3 days it's legal to go ahead and sell the gun anyway. I'm wondering if the 3-10 days thing is the same kind of thing. It seems like it isn't and is just saying how long the check might take. But I'm curious
 
pokeystaples

pokeystaples

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,354
This is the first time I've ever seen it as the "girlfriend" loophole. It's always been the "boyfriend" loophole, no?
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
50,054
I've never heard of the "boyfriend loophole"; what's that a loophole in? It sounds like that should just be a scenario where a person shouldn't have a gun (even more than how much most people should normally not have access to guns).
 
Kraid

Kraid

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,271
Cuck Zone
Dremorak said:
Why would it be "assault your girlfriend" and not "assault a human being in general"?
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The greatest predictor of someone being a mass shooter is them being a man who has a history of violence against women.

For people who don't understand: If you have assaulted your spouse, you will not pass a background check. If you assaulted your partner, and you're not married, that won't hit and will still allow you to pass a background check.
 
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OP
Rychu

Rychu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,263
Utah, USA
L Thammy said:
I've never heard of the "boyfriend loophole"; what's that a loophole in? It sounds like that should just be a scenario where a person shouldn't have a gun (even more than how much most people should normally not have access to guns).
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It's as dumb as it sounds, read below:
The "boyfriend loophole" deals with whether unmarried partners can have guns if they were found guilty of violence against a dating partner.

Federal law currently only bars people from purchasing a firearm if they are convicted of domestic violence while:
- Living with their partner
- Married to their partner
- Have a child with their partner
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You cannot be barred from purchasing a gun unless you live with your partner, are married to them or have a child with them. As long as you're convicted of abusing your ex or a girlfriend you don't live with or have children with, you're A-okay!
 
Fiction

Fiction

Fanthropologist
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,778
Elf Tower, New Mexico
The boyfriend loophole is a thing cause if you were accused of domestic abuse against a SPOUSE you could have your guns taken again but if you weren't married you could keep them. It was dumb as fuck.

Edit: Better said above
 
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