A bipartisan group of senators on Sunday announced an agreement had been reached -- though in principle only -- on new legislation meant to address the country's ongoing gun violence, including the recent Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting.
The deal, in the works for weeks, has the support of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate, which is the number needed to avoid a filibuster.
If passed, the proposal would be the first major gun law to make it through Congress in years.
Among other things, the agreement would provide funding for mental health (including behavioral health centers) and incentives for the creation of so-called "red flag" laws to remove firearms from people who are a danger to themselves or others; increase money for school safety; and strengthen the federal background check system as it relates to convicted domestic violence abusers or those with restraining orders.
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Potential gun owners under 21 would also be subject to "an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement," the bipartisan group said Sunday.
Twenty senators released a statement confirming the deal, saying in part: "Today, we are announcing a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America's children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country. Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities."
The 20 lawmakers -- double the initial bipartisan group who restarted negotiations late last month -- are Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Chris Coons of Delaware, John Cornyn of Texas, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Angus King of Maine, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
The carefully calibrated changes in the deal -- mixing some modest gun restrictions with a focus on schools and social services -- reflect the evenly divided Senate, requiring any law to attract at least 10 Republican votes.
Notably, the new proposal does not address major Democratic priorities such as restricting access to assault-style weapons to people under 21 -- a ban that President Joe Biden had backed in a recent primetime address to the nation but which was taken off the table among the Senate negotiators. This comes despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell privately expressing a willingness to support such a move, sources told ABC News.