Senators seek to announce initial gun deal as soon as Sunday
Notably, the announcement includes the support of 10 Republican senators, which would give the proposal enough support to overcome the Senate filibuster. The agreement is significant given the division among lawmakers on the gun issue, but the actual legislative text is yet to be written.
The proposal includes support for state crisis intervention orders, funding for school safety resources, an improved review process for buyers under 21, and penalties for buying straw.
The group on the exit includes Republican Sens. John Cornyn from Texas, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr from North Carolina, Roy Blunt from Missouri, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Susan Collins from Maine, Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, Rob Portman from Ohio, Mitt Romney from Utah and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania. Incumbent Democratic senators include Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow. It also includes Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucus with Democrats.
President Joe Biden said Sunday the deal “doesn’t do everything I think is needed, but it does reflect important steps in the right direction.”
If passed, Biden wrote, the framework would mark “the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades,” adding, “With bipartisan support, there is no no excuse for delay, and no reason why it should not be quickly passed by the Senate and the House.”
“With each passing day, more and more children are being killed in this country: the sooner it lands on my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.”
Biden also thanked Murphy, who led the negotiations for the Democrats, as well as Cornyn, Sinema and Tillis.
The talks lasted all weekend
A source with knowledge of the talks said negotiators hoped to get 10 Republican senators to sign the deal before it was announced, to show they can overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold. The Senate is currently split evenly between the Democratic and GOP conferences with 50 seats each.
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Sunday praised Senate negotiators before the announcement for their work on the legislation, but refrained from expressing support for the next package.
“Well, we would definitely vote on that and work on it,” he said on “State of the Union” when asked if he would vote for the bill, adding: “ This is a step in the right direction. We’re glad the Senate is finally awake to this.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, later said on the same program that she would be willing to support the legislation “if we get a real baby step, not some kind of distraction, I think, from the solution .” She stressed that it was essential to include a provision for background checks.
“You know, I believe, if we can get background checks, my hope — my hope is that it’s a yes” on the legislation, Ocasio-Cortez said.
This story has been updated with news of the announced deal.
CNN’s Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.