Statement from John Arnold: Introduction of Legislative Text for Federal Bipartisan Gun Safety Deal

Senators Chris Murphy (D‑CT), John Cornyn (R‑TX), Kyrsten Sinema (D‑AZ), and Thom Tillis (R‑NC) should be applauded for working together to take substantive action on preventing gun violence. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act would be the first major federal gun safety law in nearly 26 years. 

The bill establishes an enhanced background check process for gun buyers under age 21, funding for the administration and implementation of red-flag laws and other crisis intervention programs, protection for victims of domestic violence, funding for community violence intervention programs and mental health services, among other items.

This is an important step in the right direction and we are hopeful the Senate will pass this bipartisan legislation as soon as possible. Anyone who cares about saving lives while respecting Second Amendment rights should be commending the efforts of Democrats and Republicans to work together on this groundbreaking legislation. Let it be the first of many steps to implement evidence-based policies that will help stem the bloodshed of gun homicides, suicides, and accidents. 

John Arnold is the cofounder of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States — including gun violence. In order to address this public safety threat, Arnold Ventures launched the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research in partnership with the RAND Corp., a nonpartisan and widely respected research institution.