U.S. House passes two Democratic-backed gun control bills
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[March 12, 2021]
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of
Representatives on Thursday approved a pair of gun control bills as
Democrats seized upon a shifting political landscape that they said
improved chances for enacting new laws after years of failed attempts.
The first measure, which passed the Democratic-led House 227-203, would
close a long-standing loophole in gun laws by expanding background
checks to those purchasing weapons over the internet, at gun shows and
through certain private transactions. Only eight Republicans joined the
Democrats in backing the bill.
The second bill, passed 219-210 with only two Republicans supporting it,
would give authorities 10 business days for federal background checks to
be completed before a gun sale can be licensed. Currently, such sales
can proceed if the government cannot complete complicated background
checks of prospective buyers within three days.
President Joe Biden is a supporter of expanded gun control measures. The
legislation may face a tougher battle in the U.S. Senate, where Biden's
fellow Democrats hold an even slimmer majority than in the House.
The bills follow a series of deadly U.S. mass shootings over the past
decade. Gun control is a divisive issue in the United States, which
enshrines gun rights in its Constitution. Most Republicans strongly
oppose gun restrictions, while most Democrats argue that new laws are
needed to curb gun violence.
The House Judiciary Committee's senior Republican, Jim Jordan, wrote on
Twitter that House Democrats were "making it harder for law-abiding
citizens to buy a gun."
Many Democrats want to go further by banning sales of some
high-capacity, military-style rifles that can fire ammunition rapidly.
Democratic Representative Mike Thompson, who has spearheaded a drive for
expanded gun control for years, said 30 people are killed by gun
violence daily in the United States, with that number growing to 100 if
suicides and accidental deaths involving firearms are counted. At the
same time, Thompson said, 170 felons and 50 domestic abusers are stopped
from buying a gun every day.
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AR-15 rifles are displayed for sale at the Guntoberfest gun show in
Oaks, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
"It only makes sense that if you expand it you'll stop even more
felons, more domestic abusers," Thompson said.
Republicans opposing the bills argued that the legislation would not
make American streets safer and would infringe upon the right to
bear arms guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.
With Democrats now controlling the White House along with both
chambers of Congress, they are seeking to pursue liberal goals
thwarted when Republicans led either the House or Senate. Democrats
have said their position has been further strengthened by turmoil
within the National Rifle Association, the influential gun lobby
closely aligned with Republicans.
The Senate's longstanding filibuster rule makes it so most
legislation requires 60 votes to proceed in the 100-seat chamber
rather than a simple majority, and Republicans could use the
maneuver to try to block gun control measures. Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer said if that happens, Democrats would "come
together as a caucus and we'll see how we're going to get this
done," possibly hinting at ending or altering the filibuster rule.
A bipartisan gun control bill in 2013 - proposed after a mass
shooting at a Connecticut elementary school - failed on a vote of
54-46 in the Senate, short of the needed 60 votes.
During a news conference before the gun control votes, a tearful
Representative Lucy McBath, who lost her son to gun violence, said:
"No one deserves the kind of pain and anguish that people are
suffering."
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Will Dunham)
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