Source: The Pulse
In a 217-213 vote along party lines, the U.S. House passed a ban on assault weapons in response to the recent, horrific mass shootings that have claimed numerous lives.
The bill would criminalize the sale, manufacture, transfer, possession, or importation of many types of semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices.
This marks a major victory for Democrats, who have attempted to push forth gun safety measures amid a spate of mass shootings this year.
“When guns are the number one killer of children in America, when more children die from guns than active-duty police and active-duty military combined, we have to act,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Today, House Democrats acted by unifying 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.”
Although two House Republicans voted for the gun safety measure, it’s not expected that their counterparts in the Senate will vote against the much-needed ban.
“These weapons have no place in our communities,” stated Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, and sponsor of the bill. “There are more mass shootings than days in the year. This is a uniquely American problem.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record. Recently, CDC data found that gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in the U.S.
This year alone, 201 children have died due to gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
