Signed by President Biden in 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the first new major federal gun safety law in nearly 30 years.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (“BSCA”),1 enacted in 2022, amended the GCA to require additional investigative steps as a part of the background check process before an 18 to 20 year old is able to purchase a long gun;2 clarify which gun sellers must obtain a federal firearms license and conduct background checks; establish federal statutes to clearly define and penalize trafficking and straw purchasing; and prohibit a person convicted of a violent misdemeanor against a “current or recent former dating” partner from possessing firearms for five years.
The BSCA also authorized federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funding for the implementation and establishment of state crisis intervention court proceedings, including state Extreme Risk Protection Orders. The BSCA invested $250 million over five years for a community violence intervention and prevention initiative. The BSCA also invested in children and family mental health services; codified the SchoolSafety.gov clearinghouse, which provides resources on evidence-based strategies to keep schools safe; and increased funding for mental health and supportive services in schools.
Additional details about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act may be found in the posts discussing federal law on Background Check Procedures, Firearm Prohibitions, Trafficking & Straw Purchasing, Domestic Violence & Firearms, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and Intervention Strategies.
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- Pub. L. No. 117-159, 136 Stat. 1313 (2022).[↩]
- These provision sunset on September 30, 2032, except for the provision clarifying that juvenile conduct can prohibit a person from purchasing firearms and that mental health adjudications or commitments to mental health institutions that occur before the age of 16 do not prohibit a person from purchasing firearms.[↩]