The state Senate’s plan to make strict gun laws all the more stringent will likely pass this week and could be made law by the end of this session.

Senate President Karen Spilka acknowledged that “An act to sensibly address firearm violence through effective reform” — or the SAFER Act — despite having similar aims, is a substantially different piece of legislation than the “An Act modernizing firearms laws” the House approved in October.

“That’s almost every bill that we take up, you know? That’s the legislative process,” she said.

Still, she said, the Senate’s version of the bill will likely pass the upper chamber when lawmakers take it up on Thursday and head to a joint conference committee, where the differences between the House and Senate versions will be ironed out.

“I believe it’s a very strong bill and it will really make our commonwealth safer. We have strong gun safety laws now, this will even improve on that and improve the safety for all of our residents. So, we’ll pass it, we’ll meet with the House, and I’m hoping we get something to the governor’s desk before the session is over,” she said.

Gun rights groups are not pleased with the Senate’s effort to curtail their Second Amendment rights, nor were they when the House passed their bill. Jim Wallace, the executive director of the Gun Owners Action League, said the bill doesn’t actually address any of the problems that proponents say they aim to solve.

“Like the House bill, there is absolutely nothing in this bill to address crime and mental illness. The senate’s proposal would produce massive authority to create limitless regulations and authority of the Attorney General to use the proposed laws in a punitive manner even against people outside of the 2A community,” Wallace said in a statement.

The Senate will convene for formal session and take up the bill at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Herald wire services contributed.