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Peters says final gun reform vote will pass in the Senate

Michigan Senator Gary Peters (D) speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday June, 23.
Courtesy of C-Span
Michigan Senator Gary Peters (D) speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday June, 23.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters says the final vote on gun reform legislation will pass in the Senate with enough Republican support.

On Tuesday, the Senate conducted a preliminary vote with 64 Senators voting in favor of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act."

However, despite it not being the final vote, Peters says he’s confident the 14 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the gun reform legislation in the primary stages will not falter.

"I'm just so pleased that we're going to be able to pass some common sense moves to deal with gun violence. It's an important step," said Peters on a phone call with WCMU. "It's an important step forward. But this should hopefully be the first step of what will be other steps in the future."

Peters mentioned Democrats were able to gain the necessary Republican support because of continuous gun violence in the U.S., including the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. The bill is branded as common-sense regulations.

"It'll have investments in mental health and will have the ability for us to do some additional screening on folks from 18 to 21, who are buying weapons, it'll help states fund red flag programs when they find people who they believe are a danger to themselves and others," said Peters.

Peters responded to the criticism gun advocates argue that more gun legislation will lead to stricter gun laws in the future.

"And so this is not about taking away weapons," said Peters. "So, this is about common sense, safety laws that will keep weapons out of the hands of people who simply shouldn't have those weapons in their hands."

Peters says Senators are hoping the bill will move to the House as soon as possible and be voted on after the July fourth recess."

One thing I've learned from serving here in the United State Senate is when you have the votes. It's a good thing to get those votes on the board as quickly as possible," said Peters.

Rick Brewer has been news director at WCMU since February 2024.