In response to a recent wave of mass shootings, the House of Representatives passed a bill raising the age to buy semi-automatic rifles to 21 years, which required safe storage of firearms while seeking to curb traffic. illicit firearms.
The House passed the Child Protection Act with a vote of 223 to 204 on Wednesday that fell mostly on party lines. Congress Democrats who quickly assembled the package earlier this month say it will reduce armed violence. Five Republicans crossed paths to support the legislation, which would be the most important arms control measure passed by Congress in nearly two decades. However, he faces uncertainty in the Senate.
Speaking in the House, Rep. Jerry Nadler referred to the recent shooting at elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“Who can tell their constituents that they are with them and not with the gun lobby?” said Nadler. “Americans are watching. They are asking us to protect them and their loved ones from armed violence. Who among us will respond to their call?”
The House of Representatives passed legislation today with the help of some key Republicans. Above, an attendant holds a sign calling for a ban on assault weapons during the Moms Demand Action Gun Violence rally in Washington, DC, on June 8, 2022. Nathan Howard / Getty Images
The Judicial Committee of the House, chaired by Nadler, earlier this month passed legislation, considered in an emergency session, on a 25 to 19-party vote.
The legislation creates new federal crimes to sell or manufacture high-capacity magazines and use “straw” buyers for arms trafficking. The so-called “bump stocks”, the devices used to fire semi-automatic rifles in rapid succession, would be banned by law. “Ghost pistols”, home-mounted firearms that law enforcement has difficulty tracking would also be banned.
While the bill fails to ban semi-automatic rifles called for by gun control advocates, it raises the purchase age to 21 years. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The bill also creates sanctions for gun owners who do not use adequate storage or security devices to keep firearms out of the hands of minors.
During the debate, House Republicans criticized the bill, calling it impractical and unconstitutional.
“This could turn millions of illegal weapons into smuggling and law-abiding gun owners into criminals,” said Minnesota Rep. Michelle Fischbach. “[The bill] It’s another reminder that Democrats have fundamentally disrespect for the rights of the Second Amendment. “
Fischbach said the safe storage requirements violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and confiscations. Tracing requirements would also mean that several parts of the same weapon would need their own serial number.
Saying, “It’s not the guns, it’s the people,” Florida Rep. Kat Cammack said the bill does nothing to address the country’s mental health crisis and could leave victims of domestic violence helpless.
The legislation faces difficulties in the uniformly divided Senate, where Republicans have expressed a certain willingness to consider the issue.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican arms control negotiator in the Senate, released a video Wednesday of a state of the art speech that included few details. He identified mental health as an important factor behind the mass shootings and safety assessment in schools.
While expressing optimism that the talks would produce a bill, he rejected “artificial terms” for voting on any legislation.
Newsweek contacted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for comment.