A longstanding stalemate on gun control in the US appears to be shifting with the US Senate taking an initial step towards passing the country’s first reforms in decades. In the wake of a series of horrific mass shootings in the country, enough senators agreed to advance a bill that would toughen federal gun laws on background checks and trafficking and provide billions of dollars to the states for school security and mental health initiatives. It doesn’t include stronger reforms backed by the Democrats and President Joe Biden – including a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age to buy a gun – but the bill was settled after negotiators ironed out key disagreements. The bill will need at least 10 Republican votes to get it through, but 10 have already backed a policy framework, so lawmakers are confident the bill could pass by the week’s end.