WASHINGTON This week, the Senate passed a modest gun safety and mental health bill with the support of a big bipartisan majority, a feat that once seemed unthinkable.

Amid national anguish over shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, and increased public support for common-sense steps to stop guns from getting in the hands of the wrong people, 15 Republican senators decided to buck extreme gun groups like the National Rifle Association and support the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Weve had one shooting after another. More are coming. When people say, Cant you do something? the answer is yes, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday.

If you consider yourself a supporter of the Second Amendment, you absolutely want to do something about Uvalde, explained Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

Peter Ambler, the executive director of the gun violence prevention group Giffords, had a blunter answer: John Cornyn and company didnt want to be standing next to Ted Cruz saying that the only answer in the aftermath of 19 dead kids in Uvalde is fewer doors. The gun lobby and their allies have run out of excuses.

The legislation is historic but fairly limited. It would bolster mental health care, enhance background checks for people under 21, incentivize states to adopt red flag laws, improve school security measures and prohibit romantic partners convicted of domestic violence who are not married to their victim from getting firearms. The bill is expected to pass in both the House and Senate as early as this week and be signed into law.

The big question, for both Republicans and Democrats , is whether this is the start of a trend or a one-off event.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the main authors of the legislation, has sold the bill to liberal voters and his fellow senators as a necessary first step to convince Republicans to adopt more stringent gun control measures. Once Republicans see that the political sky wont fall on them when they agree to compromise on gun restrictions, they will find it easier to come back to the table in the future, Murphy has argued.

Weve spent four weeks, 24/7, putting this legislation together, Murphy told activists at a rally for the legislation on Thursday. We were not going to let 30 years of inaction stop us. And so, we have an answer today. We have an answer its not a complete answer, but it is an answer that allows us to tell families all across this country that the era of inaction is over.

Richard Blumenthal, Connecticuts other senator, told HuffPost he hoped Republicans would realize the political and personal benefits of preventing gun violence.

I think it could. Im not saying it will, he said when asked if this represented a shift in the GOPs attitude. But when they see that, in effect, theres more political gain than disadvantage in doing the right thing on guns, but also a sense of personal emotional reward, from standing up and saving lives. You know, what we do around here doesnt usually save lives.

Most Republicans, however, are suggesting this is a one-off measure that will take broader gun control measures, such as universal background checks or an assault weapons ban, off the table.

Democrats are counting on this having changed the attitude toward guns thats probably not the case, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney told HuffPost.

They shouldnt say that because this is the effort that is going to get over the finish line, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst added when asked about Democratic expectations about further action on guns.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also voted for the bill, essentially argued that the legislation owned the libs.

For years, the far left falsely claimed that Congress could only address the terrible issue of mass murders by trampling on law-abiding Americans constitutional rights, the Kentuckian said. This bill proves that false.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said voters in her state wanted to crack down on criminals use of weapons without infringing on their own Second Amendment rights.

What held this effort together was a recognition that, look, youre not going to make any headway if we undercut Second Amendment rights for Alaskans and law-abiding folks, Murkowski told reporters.

Republicans also waved off objections from the NRA, which claimed that the bill would open the door to more gun control. They credited other gun advocacy groups like the National Shooting Sports Foundation for helping draft some of the legislations most contentious provisions. (The NRA, battered by scandal and financial problems, has declined in influence in recent years , while the NSSF has risen.)

At the same time, there is a clear political risk for Republicans. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, one of the main GOP negotiators, was met with a chorus of boos at his state party convention last Friday. Another Republican, Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), endorsed a ban on assault weapons after a mass shooting at a supermarket in his Buffalo-centric district. He announced his retirement less than a week later.

And Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, attacked the legislation as soft on crime actually arguing the legislation does not do enough to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, essentially aligning himself with Democrats who wanted to do more .