It’s about time! Roommates, today, the House of Representatives voted to ban assault-style weapons! In a vote of 217-213, the bill will now head to the Senate, according to CNN. Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and Kurt Schrader of Oregon voted against the ban. Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Chris Jacobs of New York voted for the bill.
While the bill is not expected to advance, reports state there are 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Several Democrats in the House are advocating for the bill to pass following the recent mass shootings involving such firearms that occured throughout the U.S. In a letter to members of her caucus ahead of the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote, “Today, our Democratic Majority will take up and pass the Assault Weapons Ban legislation: a crucial step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our nation.”
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If you recall, the United States had an assault-style weapons ban first implemented in 1994, which expired in 2004. At the time, Democrats blamed former President George W. Bush for letting it expire. “George W. Bush says, ‘I’m for that.’ I never asked Congress to pass it. Never stood up. Caves into the NRA,” said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
There has been some progress in laws against guns; however, it doesn’t seem enough. As previously reported, earlier this year, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to address gun violence. The bill amounted to the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades.
The legislation included millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs, and incentives for states to have juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Roommates, we’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
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