Community members speak out after Biden signs gun safety bill into law

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A major gun safety measure was signed into law Saturday morning by President Biden.

It’s called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and it’s aimed at keeping weapons away from dangerous people.

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President Biden says it’s the most significant gun safety law passed in three decades.

“I’m glad,” local resident Alonda Billings said. “I’m happy to see it starting to manifest.”

“I don’t think the people making judgments are the right people for those judgments,” local resident David Davis said.

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The law enhances background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21.

It improves red flag laws aimed at keeping guns away from people who could be a significant danger to themselves or others.

It gives billions of dollars of funding for mental health resources and school safety, but that’s not all.

“Being an educator myself, understanding that they are putting my students top priority … it makes me happy,” Billings said. “It’s vital for society and for humanity that we pay attention to changing thoughts, minds and hearts to value human life, to put value on it and to put value on everything we think is important, especially our children.”

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The law also closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole” to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years.

It also increases the penalties for those who illegally purchase firearms.

“I feel that it should be age-limited,” Davis said. “Even with background checks, a lot of the forms are liable answers. I think that should be more investigated before guns get released in the wrong hands of the wrong people.”

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Billings said gun reform is top priority right now.

“We need reform,” Billings said. “We need change. We need support. We need everything to change what’s going on in the world today.”

The Senate passed the bill 65-33 late Thursday night. From there, it went to the lower chamber, where it passed 234-193. President Biden signed the bill into law on Saturday.

“I feel that we should be able to go by constitutional rights,” Davis said.

“We also need to keep our ears to the ground, because if someone wants to buy a gun, they will find a gun,” local resident Andrea Bacon said. “It’s not just signing a bunch of papers and passing a bunch of laws. It’s being in tune with what’s going on around us.”

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The $13 billion in new spending for mental health resources and school safety comes after recent mass shootings gripped the nation. That includes the small city of Uvalde, Texas where 19 children and two adults were killed.

“I’m sad that it took the lives of other people for us to understand that was the most important thing that we should have dealt with a long time ago,” Billings said.

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