WASHINGTON – The House passed the first of a few gun control bills, a priority for Democratic leaders who impatiently had little success on this issue for years amid widespread Republican opposition.
The vote was 227 to 203 on a measure to extend background checks to nearly all gun sales. Eight Republicans supported the bill, while one Democrat was against it.
The House separately prepared to vote on extending the deadline for background checks from three days to 10 days, giving law enforcement agencies more time to investigate individuals before they can purchase weapons.
Both gun measures passed by the House in 2019, after Democrats regained control of the chamber in the midterm elections, but languished in the Senate when then-majority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) Refused to schedule votes. .
The prospects of the legislation in the now democratically controlled Senate are uncertain, but the effort could speed up the party’s attempt to change the rules in the tightly divided chamber to make it easier to pass bills.