Biden signs bipartisan gun safety bill into law: 'God willing, it's going to save a lot of lives' - CNN

The Senate passed the bill in a late-night vote Thursday.

In his remarks Saturday, the President announced he'd host members of Congress who supported the landmark gun safety legislation at a White House event on July 11, following his return from Europe, to celebrate the new law with the families of gun violence victims.

The package represents the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994 -- though it fails to ban any weapons and falls far short of what Biden and his party had advocated for, and polls show most Americans want to see.

"While this bill doesn't do everything I want, it does include actions I've long called for that are going to save lives," Biden said.

The money can be used to implement and manage red flag programs -- which through court orders can temporarily prevent individuals in crisis from accessing firearms -- and for other crisis intervention programs like mental health courts, drug courts and veterans courts.

This bill closes a years-old loophole in domestic violence law -- the "boyfriend loophole" -- which barred individuals who have been convicted of domestic violence crimes against spouses, partners with whom they shared children or partners with whom they cohabitated from having guns.

It also increases funding for mental health programs and school security.

Just before signing the bill, Biden praised the families of gun violence victims with whom he had met.