Durbin calls gun deal ‘an important compromise’

QUINCY (WGEM) - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said a bipartisan compromise that advanced in the Senate on Tuesday is an important step toward addressing gun violence in the country.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act expands background checks, especially for buyers under 21.

It sends money to states that have enacted so-called “red-flag laws.”

The plan also closes the “boyfriend loophole” that would bar unmarried domestic abusers who live with their victims from buying a gun, and it increases spending on mental health and school safety resources.

“I think it was an important compromise,” Durbin said. “I supported it, and I will continue to support it. It’s not going to solve the problem of gun violence in America, but it will save lives. And for that reason, I believe both parties should support it.”

Durbin also said it’s “hard to say” whether this measure would have prevented recent mass shootings in Buffalo or Uvalde.

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