The House began procedural votes on the bill Friday morning and passed it hours later, just before lawmakers are expected to depart Washington for a two-week recess. Democrats broadly supported the plan, but House Republican leaders encouraged their GOP members to oppose the legislation, arguing it was part of an effort to erode law-abiding Americans' Second Amendment rights.
Still, the plan garnered support from a small coalition of Republicans, including Rep. Tony Gonzales, who representsSoon after the massacre in Texas, bipartisan Senate negotiators began talks to hammer out a deal in response to the latest spate of mass shootings.
While the bill also stops short of what Mr. Biden has urged Congress to do, he supports the legislation and on Thursday called on the House to act quickly. "Tonight, after 28 years of inaction, bipartisan members of Congress came together to heed the call of families across the country and passed legislation to address the scourge of gun violence in our communities," Mr. Biden said upon Senate passage of the legislation Thursday."Families in Uvalde and Buffalo — and too many tragic shootings before — have demanded action. And tonight, we acted. This bipartisan legislation will help protect Americans.