Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would tentatively support a bipartisan agreement that would provide funding for states to implement red flag laws and school safety measures.
McConnell’s support was pending any changes lawmakers could make to the legislation before final approval.
"For myself, I'm comfortable with the framework, and if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, I'll be supporting,” he said.
After weeks of negotiations, an announcement of the deal hatched between 10 Democratic and 10 Republican senators was made on Sunday. The talks were spurred by a slew of mass shootings, most notably a massacre at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school that left students and two teachers dead.
McConnell previously said he supported conversations between members of both parties but would not say whether he would agree on whatever the group would decide.
The legislation will still need to be written and will center around stricter background checks, red flag laws, school security and mental health programs.
The proposal falls far short of tougher curbs long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats.
"Obviously, it does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades," Biden said in a statement.
If the accord leads to the enactment of the legislation, it will signal a turn after years of stalemate in Congress.
To break the stalemate, 60 votes in the Senate are required.
