ATLANTA — The U.S. Senate voted 65 to 33 to pass the bipartisan gun control bill in an initial vote Thursday evening.
This legislation is considered to be the most comprehensive gun safety measure this country has seen in decades.
Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock told Channel 2′s Justin Wilfon he is hopeful the bill will fully pass within the next week.
From right here in metro Atlanta with the spa shootings that left eight people dead, to a grocery store in Buffalo, to a school in Uvalde and many points in between, mass shootings have become a tragic part of American life.
Now, Warnock believes lawmakers might finally agree on how to prevent some of them.
“I think we’re seeing movement in that direction. And I’m hoping we will get this done, very soon,” he said.
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Channel 2 spoke with Warnock from Washington.
The bill includes more money for red flag programs, school security, mental health programs and more comprehensive background checks for people ages 18-21 who want to buy guns.
“Listen, we witnessed 19 babies slaughtered in their school. If we can’t act to protect our children, then we have failed,” Warnock said.
Wilfon also reached out to Warnock’s Republican opponent in the U.S. Senate race later this year – Herschel Walker. Walker told Channel 2 the following in a statement:
“I’m encouraged to hear the legislation may include strengthening mental health programs and school safety. But at this point, it’s still a fluid process. With these DC politicians you always have to check the fine print.”
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Warnock indicated the bill may not go far enough but seems satisfied to save that discussion for another day.
“We can’t have this happen time and time again and say we can’t do anything about it,” he said. “This is the only place on the planet where this happens. So, Americans don’t agree on everything but that’s no excuse for doing nothing.”
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If the legislation passes in the Senate in the next few days, it would then need to pass in the House, which is expected to happen.
Some lawmakers believe the bill could be on President Joe Biden’s desk to sign by July 4.
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