Kevin Frecking, Associated Press Published Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 7:37 PM EDT Last Updated on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 9:51 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House of Representatives passed a comprehensive arms control bill Wednesday in response to the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uwalde, Texas, which will raise the age limit for buying semi-automatic rifles and banning the sale of rifles. ammunition with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
The law was passed by a predominantly party vote of 223-204. There is almost no chance of it becoming law, as the Senate is negotiating to improve mental health programs, strengthen school security and improve past checks. But the House of Representatives bill allows Democratic lawmakers to nominate voters in November in which they support policies that polls say are widely supported.
“We can’t save every life, but my God, shouldn’t we try?” We hear from you in America, and today in the House we are taking the action you need, “said Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. “Pay attention to who is with you and who is not.”
The pressure comes after a House committee heard horrific testimony from recent shooting victims and family members, including 11-year-old Mia Serilo, who covered herself in the blood of a dead classmate to avoid being shot at Uwalde Elementary School. .
The seemingly endless cycle of mass shootings in the United States rarely prompts Congress to act. But the shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uwalde revived efforts in a way that made lawmakers on both sides talk about the need for an answer.
“It’s disgusting, it’s disgusting that our children are forced to live in this constant fear,” said House of Representatives President Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Pelosi said the vote in the House of Representatives would “make history by making progress”. But it is unclear where the measure will go in the House of Representatives after Wednesday’s vote, given that Republicans have been adamant in their opposition.
“The answer is not to destroy the Second Amendment, but this is exactly where Democrats want to go,” said Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Work to find a common language is being done mostly in the Senate, where support from 10 Republicans will be needed to sign the bill. Nearly a dozen Democratic and Republican senators met in private for an hour on Wednesday, hoping to reach a framework for compromise legislation by the end of the week. Participants said more talks are needed on a plan that is expected to offer modest steps.
As a measure of the political danger posed by arms control efforts to Republicans, five of the six leading GOP negotiators in the Senate are not facing re-election by 2026. They are Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and John Cornin of Maine. Texas, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Tom Tillis of North Carolina. The sixth, Pat Toomie of Pennsylvania, retires in January. It is also noteworthy that none of the six are running for the Republican nomination for president.
Although Cornin said the talks were serious, he did not join the Democrats, who say the deal could be reached by the end of this week. He told reporters Wednesday that he believes reaching an agreement before Congress begins a holiday in late June is a “desired goal”.
The House of Representatives bill combines various proposals made by Democrats before the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uwalde. The suspects in the shooting in Uwalde, the primary school and the Buffalo supermarket were only 18, authorities said when they bought the semi-automatic weapons used in the attacks. The bill will increase the minimum age for the purchase of such weapons to 21.
“A person under the age of 21 cannot buy a Budweiser. We must not allow a person under the age of 21 to buy an AR-15 military weapon, “said Ted Liu, D-Calif.
Republicans noted that a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals last month found that California’s ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons to adults under the age of 21 was unconstitutional.
“This is unconstitutional and immoral. Why is it immoral? Because we tell 18, 19 and 20 year olds to register for the draft. You can go and die for your country. We expect you to protect us, but we will not give you the tools to protect yourself and your family, “said Thomas Massi, R-Ky.
The House bill also includes incentives designed to increase the use of safe weapons storage devices and creates penalties for violating safe storage requirements by providing for fines and up to five years in prison if weapons are not stored properly and subsequently used. by a minor. to injure or kill themselves or another person.
It is also based on the executive action of the Biden administration, which prohibits high-speed devices with “butts” and “ghost weapons”, which are assembled without serial numbers.
Five Republicans voted in favor of the bill: 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 running for re-election. On the Democratic side, Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schroeder of Oregon were the only ones opposed. Schrader lost his candidacy for re-election in the Democratic primary. Golden faces competitive elections in November.
The chamber is also expected to approve a bill Thursday that would allow families, police and others to ask federal courts to order the removal of firearms from people believed to be at extreme risk of injuring themselves or others. .
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently have such “red flag laws.” Under the House bill, a judge may issue an order for the temporary seizure and storage of firearms until a hearing can be held no more than two weeks later to determine whether the firearms must be returned or stored for a specific period.
Associated Press author Alan Fram contributed to this report.
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