A handful of House Republicans rejected his party’s vote on gun legislation Wednesday, backing measures that were introduced after the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas last month.
The law passed by the chamber was the Protecting Our Kids Act, a package of laws aimed at tightening arms restrictions. Provisions include raising the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21 and banning civilians from using high-capacity magazines.
The legislation is condemned in the Senate because of widespread opposition from the GOP. The package was approved in the House in a 223-204 majority party vote. A Republican did not vote.
Five Republicans broke with the party by supporting the measure: Reps Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Chris Jacobs (NY) and Fred Upton (Mich.).
Kinzinger, Gonzalez, Jacobs and Upton are not seeking re-election this year. Jacobs resigned for another term last week after being criticized within the party for expressing support for a ban on assault weapons.
Lawmakers voted in favor of the package despite party leadership advocating against the legislation. Minority Whip’s office Steve Scalise (R-La.) Sent a note to House GOP offices on Tuesday urging conference members to vote “no” to the general measure.
“After the senseless and malevolent shootings observed in recent months, the majority has put together this reactionary package consisting of legislation that blatantly violates the rights of the second amendment of law-abiding citizens and hinders the ability of Americans to defend themselves and protect themselves and their families, ”the statement said.
In addition to voting on the entire package, the House also voted on each individual provision. The full package, however, is the only law that will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Last week, minority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Said the House would vote on each provision “to put Republicans on record on each of these gun-related issues.”
Six of the seven provisions were largely passed in party line votes, with only a handful of Republicans joining Democrats. The latter provision, however, had broad bipartisan support. He orders the Attorney General to send a report to Congressional committees detailing people who were unable to purchase a firearm because they did not do a background check.
MP Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the lead member of the House Judiciary Committee, recommended that members vote against the first six provisions, but indicated support for the latter.
Kinzinger, Fitzpatrick, and Jacobs supported the six provisions that Jordan recommended the conference oppose. Other Republicans joined the trio to vote on some of the individual measures.
The provision that would impose a ban on reduced stocks for civilians received the most support from the GOP among the measures against which Jordan recommended voting.
The initiative was approved in a vote of 233 to 194, with 13 Republicans against the party: the deputies. Mike Turner (Ohio), John Katko (NY), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Chris Jacobs (NY), Nicole Malliotakis (NY), Chris Smith (NJ), Maria Salazar (Fla.), David Valadao (California). Ken Calvert (California) David Joyce (Ohio), Kinzinger, Upton and Jacobs.
The provision calling for raising the minimum age for buying a firearm from 18 to 21 approved the House in a vote of 228 to 199. Ten Republicans supported this effort: Turner, Katko, Upton, Gonzalez, Fitzpatrick , Kinzinger, Jacobs, Malliotakis, Smith and Salazar.
The GOP’s list of defectors was similar in that it required firearms and firearms that could not be located without serial numbers, also called ghost weapons, to be subject to background checks and to receive serial numbers. series.
The House approved the provision in a vote of 226 to 194, with eight votes “yes”: Fitzpatrick, Kinzinger, Jacobs, Katko, Malliotakis, Upton, Gonzalez and Smith.
On a provision that creates new federal crimes for arms trafficking and the purchase of firearms straw, which is when people who cannot clarify background checks buy firearms through a proxy, 7 Republicans go reject the party to support the measure in a vote of 226 to 197..
Fitzpatrick, Kinzinger, Malliotakis, Gonzalez, Jacobs, Salazar and Katko voted “yes”.
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Four Republicans voted in favor of the provision calling for a ban on the civilian use of ammunition magazines containing more than 15 cartridges: Kinzinger, Jacobs, Upton and Fitzpatrick. The measure was approved by a vote of 220 to 207.
The provision, which received less support from the GOP, seeks to strengthen the safe storage of weapons in homes where minors may have access to firearms. Kinzinger, Fitzpatrick, and Jacobs were the only GOP defectors. The effort, however, finally cleared the House in a 220 to 205 vote.