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The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted Friday to approve an assault weapons ban, with lawmakers passing the bill on a 217-213 vote.
Eighteen House Democrats considered vulnerable in this year’s midterm elections voted in favor of the bill, while two party representatives facing tough re-election battles, Henry Cuellar of Texas and Jared Golden of Maine , left their party to vote. against the bill.
The list of vulnerable House Democrats who voted for the bill includes Rep. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich. Representative Angie Craig, D-Minnesota. Representative Annie Kuster, DNH. Representative Chris Pappas, DNH. Rep. Dinah Titus, D-Nev. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. Rep. Steve Horsford, D-Nev. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa. Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa; Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa. Representative Tom Malinowski, DNJ; Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz.
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN NEAR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is seen after a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on June 8, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images )
According to the bill’s summary, the 2022 assault weapons ban would make it illegal to “knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semi-automatic assault weapon (SAW) or a large capacity ammunition feed (LCAFD)”.
The issue of gun control became a central issue in discussions around the midterms after a series of tragic mass shootings in recent months, including at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York and at a school elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The events of the shooting prompted renewed calls from a number of activists and Democratic members of Congress to ban “assault weapons” and enact stricter gun control measures, such as expanded background check laws. ‘background and red flag laws.
SUPPORT FOR ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN ATTACKS ALL-TIME LOW AFTER UVALDE SHOOTING: POLL
President Biden has asked the Senate to approve the measure, insisting that most Americans favor “common sense action.”
President Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“The majority of the American people agree with this common sense action. The Senate should move quickly to bring this bill to my desk, and I will not stop fighting until it does. There cannot be a greater responsibility than to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our families, our children, our homes, our communities and our nation,” Biden said. “Today, House Democrats acted by coming together to pass an assault weapons ban to keep weapons of war off our streets, save lives in this country, and reduce crime in our communities.”
The effort to enact those measures culminated in a vote in the House on Friday, despite polls showing a growing number of Americans opposed to banning “assault weapons,” as well as a small share of voters with gun control as a high priority when deciding who to vote for.
According to a Suffolk University survey of registered voters released this week, just 3.4 percent of voters said gun control was the most important issue to them in the midterms.
An independent poll released in June showed support for “assault weapons” among registered voters at an all-time low.
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on July 29, 2022. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During a speech on the House floor on Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the assault weapons ban is overdue.
“Our nation has watched in unspeakable horror as assault weapons have been used in massacre after massacre in communities across the country,” he said. “Disturbingly, many of these mass shootings have targeted our precious children. In their schools, at the movies, in malls and throughout our communities. That’s why I stand today in strong support to restore the assault weapons ban, a long overdue step to get deadly weapons off our streets.”
Adam Sabes of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.