Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor about the Senate’s bipartisan framework on gun legislation dealing with background checks, mental health services and school safety. The proposal hopes to address mass shootings and other types of gun violence across the nation.

A bipartisan group of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, led by Chris Murphy, D-Conn, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, unveiled their proposal over the weekend.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he will support passing a bill that would reform gun laws if the bill matches the framework wording negotiated by the bipartisan group. If enough Republican senators agree to vote for it, it could defeat the filibuster, a major obstacle to passing legislation in the Senate. 

Gun control legislation has been stagnant in Congress, in spite of mass shootings occurring regularly all across the nation. Major gun control legislation has not passed in the Senate for 30 years.

Schumer said, “Today’s announcement of a bipartisan gun-safety framework is a good first step to ending the persistent inaction to the gun violence epidemic that has plagued our country and terrorized our children for far too long. Once the text of this agreement is finalized, I will put this bill on the floor as soon as possible so that the Senate can act quickly to advance gun-safety legislation.”

Schumer hopes to get the bill on the floor before the Senate goes into recess in July.

He credited Senators Chris Murphy, Kyrsten Sinema, John Cornyn, and Thom Tillis for their leadership in the negotiations.

The proposed legislation will improve background checks for gun buyers under 21, expand state red flag laws and give incentives to states to enforce them, close the “boyfriend loophole” which allows some convicted domestic violence perpetrators to buy guns, provide money for mental health services and suicide prevention, among other gun control issues. 

In his statement, Schumer said, “We must move swiftly to advance this legislation because if a single life can be saved it is worth the effort.”