Late Thursday, the US Senate passed a modest bipartisan gun safety measure, even as the Supreme Court broadly expanded gun rights by ruling that Americans have the constitutional right to carry a handgun publicly for self-defence.

Landmark court rulings and Senate action on gun safety show that the US is deeply divided over guns in the weeks following the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York killed more than 30 people, including 19 children.

Senate Bill 65-33, the first major gun control legislation to pass in 30 years, has the world’s highest per capita gun ownership and the wealthiest nation with the highest number of mass shootings yearly.

Supporters say the bill will save lives, but its overwhelming restrictions on gun ownership will strengthen background checks on potential gun buyers convicted of domestic violence or major-minor offences. Republicans have refused to compromise on more comprehensive gun control measures supported by Democrats, including President Joe Biden, such as bans on assault-style rifles or high-capacity magazines.

Earlier Thursday, with the support of a conservative majority, the Supreme Court ruled to lift restrictions on carrying concealed handguns outside New York state homes. The court found that the law, enacted in 1913, violated an individual’s right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

In a Senate vote late Thursday, 15 Republicans and all 50 Democrats voted for the bill. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauded the bill’s passage and said in a statement that the bill will advance in the House on Friday and be voted on as soon as possible.

House Republicans have directed their members to vote against the bill, but since Democrats control the House, their support is not required to pass. After the House passes, Biden will sign the bill into law.

The Senate took action just weeks after Biden delivered an impassioned speech in which he declared enough gun violence and urged lawmakers to act.

Polls show a majority of Americans support some new restrictions on guns, demands that typically arise in the wake of mass shootings in Texas and New York. Democrats warned that Thursday’s Supreme Court decision could have dire consequences for gun safety across the country.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters after the Senate Democrats’ Weekly Policy Luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, US, June 22, 2022.