The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.<\/p>\n
The legislation passed by a mostly party-line vote of 223-204. It has almost no chance of becoming law as the Senate pursues negotiations focused on improving mental health programs, bolstering school security and enhancing background checks. But the House bill does allow Democratic lawmakers a chance to frame for voters in November where they stand on policies that polls show are widely supported.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t save every life, but my God, shouldn\u2019t we try? America we hear you and today in the House we are taking the action you are demanding,\u201d said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. \u201cTake note of who is with you and who is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The push comes after a House committee heard wrenching testimony from recent shooting victims and family members, including from 11-year-old girl Miah Cerrillo, who covered herself with a dead classmate\u2019s blood to avoid being shot at the Uvalde elementary school.<\/p>\n
The seemingly never-ending cycle of mass shootings in the United States has rarely stirred Congress to act. But the shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde has revived efforts in a way that has lawmakers from both parties talking about the need to respond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sickening, it\u2019s sickening that our children are forced to live in this constant fear,\u201d said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.<\/p>\n
Pelosi said the House vote would \u201cmake history by making progress.\u201d But it\u2019s unclear where the House measure will go after Wednesday\u2019s vote, given that Republicans were adamant in their opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer is not to destroy the Second Amendment, but that is exactly where the Democrats want to go,\u201d said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.<\/p>\n
The work to find common ground is mostly taking place in the Senate, where support from 10 Republicans will be needed to get a bill signed into law. Nearly a dozen Democratic and Republican senators met privately for an hour Wednesday in hopes of reaching a framework for compromise legislation by week\u2019s end. Participants said more conversations were needed about a plan that is expected to propose modest steps.<\/p>\n
In a measure of the political peril that efforts to curb guns pose for Republicans, five of the six lead Senate GOP negotiators do not face reelection until 2026. They are Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The sixth, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, is retiring in January. It\u2019s also notable that none of the six is seeking the Republican presidential nomination.<\/p>\n
While Cornyn has said the talks are serious, he has not joined the chorus of Democrats saying the outlines of a deal could be reached by the end of this week. He told reporters Wednesday that he considers having an agreement before Congress begins a recess in late June to be \u201can aspirational goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The House bill stitches together a variety of proposal Democrats had introduced before the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. The suspects in the shootings at the Uvalde, elementary school and Buffalo supermarket were both just 18, authorities say, when they bought the semi-automatic weapons used in the attacks. The bill would increase the minimum age to buy such weapons to 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cA person under 21 cannot buy a Budweiser. We should not let a person under 21 buy an AR-15 weapon of war,\u201d said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.<\/p>\n
Republicans have noted that a U.S. appeals court ruling last month found California\u2019s ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to adults under 21 was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unconstitutional and it\u2019s immoral. Why is it immoral? Because we\u2019re telling 18, 19 and 20-year-olds to register for the draft. You can go die for your country. We expect you to defend us, but we\u2019re not going to give you the tools to defend yourself and your family,\u201d said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.<\/p>\n
The House bill also includes incentives designed to increase the use of safe gun storage devises and creates penalties for violating safe storage requirements, providing for a fine and imprisonment of up to five years if a gun is not properly stored and is subsequently used by a minor to injure or kill themselves or another individual.<\/p>\n
It also builds on executive actions banning fast-action \u201cbump stock\u201d devices and \u201cghost guns\u201d that are assembled without serial numbers.<\/p>\n
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre hailed the House bill, tweeting, \u201cWe continue to work hard with both parties to save lives and stand up for families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five Republicans voted for the bill: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Chris Jacobs of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan. Only Fitzpatrick is seeking reelection. On the Democratic side, Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon were the only no votes. Schrader lost his reelection bid in the Democratic primary. Golden faces a competitive election in November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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