Biden Signs Landmark Gun Measure, Says 'Lives Will Be Saved'

The legislation will toughen background checks for young gun buyers, keep guns from domestic violence offenders and help states enact red flag laws.

President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.

"Lives will be saved," he said at the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims, the president said, "Their message to us was to do something. Well today, we did."

The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and President Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe.