And Just Like That, the Biggest Gun Control Measure of 28 Years is Now Law

Written By

Michael Crites

Licensed Concealed Carry Holder

Reviewed by

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Updated

Jan 2023

Introduced on June 21, a Tuesday, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” was advertised by the 20 Senators– 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans– that worked it out as largely an expansion of Medicaid and CHIP to accommodate mental and behavioral health for youth and schools. However, with some 81-pages, it is much more complicated than that– even the “one-pager” for the bill is three pages.

Yes, the measure expands social spending in several areas, with estimates as high as $7 billion mentioned by the Congressional Budget Office, but it also includes lots of gun control.

Among its tenets are to offer states up to $750 million to implement and expand “red flag” gun seizure programs, comb juvenile and medical records to be used on “enhanced background checks” for gun transfers to those under age 21– a process that can result in a waiting period of as much as three weeks– up the punishments on straw purchases and gun trafficking to as much 25 years in prison, and make it a lot more likely that someone selling a gun from their personal collection will catch a federal charge.

President Biden signed the bill into law on Saturday morning, just four days after it was announced, having been pushed through Capitol Hill in the sort of record time only reserved for regrettable Pandora’s box style legislation such as the Patriot Act and the Authorization for Use of Military Force in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meet the Experts

Written By

Michael Crites

Licensed Concealed Carry Holder

Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18. During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications. His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual. As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY. He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).