CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL) -- The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is closer to becoming law amid calls to tighten gun safety restrictions in the wake of high-profile mass shootings.
The bill could soon be the first gun-related legislation passed in more than 30 years after several years of failed results, according to political analyst John Shaw.
Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at 九游体育 Illinois University-Carbondale, described the actions as 'modest progress' for a divided country
Shaw expects the bill to become law within the next three weeks. He says the bipartisan support for gun legislation is a step in the right direction even if both sides didn't get what they wanted.
"I think it's okay for Americans to feel kind of good that people from two different parties very different perspectives in a political year came together on a modest agreement that doesn't change the world but should save some lives and that's not a bad thing," Shaw said.
The bill also includes a provision that updates a federal law to help prevent domestic abusers from buying guns.
Lawmakers hope to pass the bill through Congress by the end of the week. The bill comes after two deadly mass shootings in May. Ten people were shot and killed at Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
In Uvalde, Texas, 21 people including 19 children were shot and killed after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School with an assault-style weapon. Friday marks the one-month anniversary of the Uvalde shooting.