A pedestrian reads a sign at a memorial honoring 45,000 lives lost due to gun violence in 2020 seen on the National Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2022.
A pedestrian reads a sign at a memorial honoring 45,000 lives lost due to gun violence in 2020 seen on the National Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2022. Reuters / LEAH MILLIS

Democrats in the U.S. Senate said on Tuesday they were encouraged by talks with Republicans on gun-violence legislation, but warned that any compromise would fall short of the steps they say are needed to tackle the problem.

"Every day we get closer to an agreement, not farther away," said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who working with Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas on a possible deal.

The Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, said he hoped the two sides would find common ground after a wave of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and elsewhere.

"We're hoping to actually get an outcome that will make a difference," he said at a news conference.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he would give negotiators until the end of the week to reach a deal.

The talks have raised hopes of a rare bipartisan agreement on gun-related issues in Congress, which has failed to act after similar mass shootings over the past decade. Most Americans support stronger gun laws, opinion polls show.

Democratic President Joe Biden last week called for banning assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, or at least raising the minimum age to buy those weapons from 18 to 21.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is expected to approve some of those proposals on Wednesday, but they are unlikely to clear the evenly divided Senate as many Republicans are opposed to tighter gun controls.

"Obviously, an agreement that we reach with the Republicans won't come close to the full list of things that I think are necessary to curb this epidemic. But the Americans people are looking for progress," Murphy said.

Instead, Murphy and Cornyn are considering more modest proposals: encouraging states to adopt "red flag" laws to deny firearms to people deemed a risk to public safety or themselves; upgrades to school security; strengthening mental health services; and doing more to keep guns out of the hands of people who are legally barred from owning them, such as felons.

Murphy met with Biden earlier in the day, the White House said.

The U.S. Supreme Court this month is expected to rule on a New York state case that could bring a sweeping expansion of gun rights.

Firearms ownership has been one of the most hotly contested issues in the United States. Gun rights advocates, including most elected Republicans, staunchly maintain that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. Gun control supporters say permissive U.S. gun laws lead to needless deaths. More than 45,000 people were killed by firearms last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.