Biden hails limited US gun proposals as ‘important steps’

US senators have struck a deal on a watered down set of gun safety measures as thousands took to the streets to protest America’s devastating gun violence.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday praised limited proposals from senators on curbing gun violence as “important steps,” while noting that they fell short of his calls for more radical change.

“Obviously, it does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades,” Mr Biden said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden has said he will sign the bipartisan legislature aimed at reducing gun violence in schools. Picture: AFP

Democratic and Republican senators announced their agreement on a basic legislative framework aimed at reducing the amount of mass shootings in the US.

The bipartisan group of senators said on Sunday, local time, the legislation they were drafting would allocate more funding to mental health programs, school security, and background checks for people under 21 who were attempting to buy guns.

“Our plan saves lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” said a statement released by the group of politicians.

Politicians have previously ruled out banning assault-style weapons such as AR-15s, which Mr Biden had called for.

Thousands of gun control advocates join the "March for Our Lives" as they protest against gun violence during a rally near the Washington Monument. Picture: AFP

It comes as thousands of people rallied on the National Mall and across the United States on Saturday in a renewed push for gun control measures after recent deadly mass shootings from Uvalde, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, that activists say should compel Congress to act.

“Enough is enough,” District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser told the second March for Our Lives rally in her city. “I speak as a mayor, a mom, and I speak for millions of Americans and America’s mayors who are demanding that Congress do its job. And its job is to protect us, to protect our children from gun violence.”

Demonstrators join the "March for Our Lives" rally in Los Angeles. Protesters are demonstrating across the US for tighter firearms laws. Picture: AFP

Speaker after speaker in Washington called on senators, who are seen as a major impediment to legislation, to act or face being voted out of office, especially given the shock to the nation’s conscience after 19 children and two teachers were killed May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Protesters are demonstrating across the US for tighter firearms laws to kerb devastating gun violence plaguing the country. Picture: AFP

“If our government can’t do anything to stop 19 kids from being killed and slaughtered in their own school, and decapitated, it’s time to change who is in government,” said David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 shooting that killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Originally published as Biden hails limited US gun proposals as ‘important steps’