US Senate passes gun control bill, SC expands gun rights

In US, the Senate late on Thursday has passed a Gun Control Bill, which is being cosidered the most significant firearms legislation in nearly 30 years. But same da, the Supreme Court broadly expanded gun rights by ruling Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense.The landmark court ruling and Senate action on gun safety illustrate the deep divide over firearms in the United States, weeks after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, killed more than 30 people, including 19 children.

Fifteen Republicans joined Democrats in the Upper House of Congress to approve the measure by 65 votes to 33. The bill will have to be passed in the House of Representatives.The bill is also significant because it is the first time in decades that proposed reforms have received this level of support from both Democrats and Republicans. Republicans refused to compromise on more sweeping gun control measures favored by Democrats including Biden, such as a ban on assault-style rifles or high-capacity magazines.

It follows mass shootings last month at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York and a primary school in Uvalde, Texas that left a combined 31 people dead. Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has opposed the bill and argued that it will not stop the violence. US President Joe Biden earlier this month said, the proposals were steps in the right direction but are still not enough. The Supreme Court ruling earlier on Thursday, pushed through by its conservative majority, struck down New York state's limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home. The court found that the law, enacted in 1913, violated a person's right to "keep and bear arms" under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment