Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that he supports the gun control deal struck by members of both parties last weekend.
McConnell spoke to reporters after a closed-door lunch meeting.
The framework released by Democrats and Republicans on Sunday would expand background checks, encourage states to pass red flag laws, and boost school safety funding.
The majority leader said he would support the bill if it reflected the current framework.
McConnell wasn't one of the 10 Republicans who endorsed the deal, but backing from the Senate's top Republican could give the agreement an extra boost.
Any gun control legislation will need the support of at least 10 Republicans and 50 Democrats in order to pass.
Efforts to tighten the nation's gun laws have beenstalled in recent years, but negotiations were renewed last month after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at a Texas school. The framework that 20 senators agreed to Sunday would allow the federal firearm background check system to scans juvenile records for prospective gun-buyers under the age of 21 and would block gun sales to a broader swath of people with domestic violence convictions. It provides funding for states with red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily take away guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or to others. It doesn't ban assault rifles or high-capacity magazines, make background checks mandatory for private gun sales or raise the age limit for buying a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 If the House and Senate pass the deal, President Joe Biden will sign it into law.
There are a number of hurdles that need to be cleared before it can reach Biden's desk. The Senate is expected to pass a bill before the body heads to a break in less than two weeks, but disagreements could arise as staffers turn a broad-strokes deal into formal legislative text. The gun control measures that the House passed last week will need to be cleared by the Senate. Pelosi promised to bring the deal to the House floor after senators finish writing it into legislation.
Bipartisan gun deal, here's what's in it.
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