WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the first significant federal bill on gun safety in decades, saying that while it falls short of what’s really needed it will “save lives.”

“While this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives,” he said at the White House before leaving for two major diplomatic summits in Europe.

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The gun legislation includes enhanced background checks for younger buyers and federal cash for states introducing “red flag” laws that allow courts to temporarily remove weapons from those considered a threat.

Billions of dollars have been allocated to crack down on “straw purchasers” who buy firearms for people not allowed to own them, and to curb gun trafficking.