The bipartisan gun control bill was approved by the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon, and President Joe Biden now has it on his desk.
The House approved the law, the most substantial gun legislation voted in decades, by a vote of 234 to 193, with the support of 14 Republicans.
After it passed with no Democratic votes opposing it, cheers could be heard from the House floor.
Biden will probably sign the bill before he leaves for talks with the G7 and NATO in Germany and Spain early on Saturday morning.
Due to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, there were demonstrations and celebrations outside the building at the time of the vote, in which MPs from opposing parties took part.
After a month of discussions that led to a compromise on one of the nation’s most divisive political topics, it was approved by a vote of 65-33 in the U.S. Senate late Thursday night.
It passed after 15 Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, ignored former President Donald Trump’s demand they vote against it.
‘I don’t think I could agree with Senator Mitch McConnell on where to go to have lunch,’ remarked Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, as he kicked off debate on the House floor Friday morning.
McGovern applauded the Senate Republicans, also name-dropping Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, who voted for the bill – and asked House GOP members to follow their lead.
House GOP leadership has instructed members to vote against the legislation.
‘I know I’m asking you to voite against your party’s leadership. I know that’s a tough spot to put some of my Republican friends in. But I think at the end of the day, you owe yourself to consider this one idea: what is this bill stops even one mass shooting from happening?’ McGovern said.
Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, whose late son was a victim of gun violence, chaired part of the debate, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking the gavel for the final vote.
House Republican leadership had officially come out against the bill Wednesday.
‘This legislation takes the wrong approach in attempting to curb violent crimes. House Republicans are committed to identifying and solving the root causes of violent crimes, but doing so must not infringe upon Second Amendment rights,’ House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said in a notice telling House GOP members to vote against the legislation.
The 14 GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of the bill included January 6 committee members – Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – along with Reps. Tom Rice, John Katko, Maria Salazr, Chris Jacobs, Brian Fitzpatrick, Peter Meijer, Fred Upton, Steve Chabot, Mike Turner, David Joyce, Athony Gonzalez of Ohio and Tony Gonzalez.
McConnell had argued that the bipartisan compromise package would have no impact on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
‘Bipartisan talks had started up after horrifying mass murder incidents in the past, but collapsed when Senate Democrats insisted on attacking the Second Amendment,’ the Kentucky Republican said.
‘This time was different because Democrats finally moved our way and accepted the reality that Americans do not have to choose between their constitutional rights and safer communities. They can have both,’ McConnell said.
Some of his colleagues disagreed.
Senator Roger Marshall said: ‘Kansans expect me to protect their Constitutional freedoms in the U.S. Senate, and I will not sacrifice those freedoms for this gun grabbing scheme.’
Earlier the Senate voted 65 to 34 to end a Republican-led filibuster on the gun reform package, clearing the way to the final vote.
The vote comes after an initial 64-34 procedural vote taken in the Senate Tuesday night, with 14 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in voting in the affirmative.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, wasn’t present for the vote due to suffering a ‘severe’ hand injury after trying to remove a boulder in his yard.
Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn was one of the chief negotiators, as there were fresh calls for stricter gun control laws in the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting.
The same group of Republicans voted in favor of breaking the filibuster Thursday, with the addition of Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who wasn’t on hand for the first vote.
Other Republicans who voted yea include Sens. Roy Blunt, Richard Burr, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Joni Ernst, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, Thom Tillis and Todd Young.
The 80-page compromise legislation would toughen background checks for younger gun buyers, bolster background check requirements and beef up penalties for gun traffickers.
The bill would also prohibit romantic partners convicted of domestic abuse who are not married to their victims from getting firearms.
Convicted abusers who are married to, live with or had children with their victims are already barred from having guns.
Additionally, $750million would be provided to the 19 states that have ‘red flag’ laws making it easier to temporarily take firearms from people adjudged dangerous, and to other states with violence prevention programs.
States with ‘red flag’ laws that receive the funds would have to have legal processes for the gun owner to fight the firearm’s removal.
The bill would disburse money to states and communities to improve school safety and mental health initiatives.
In a statement Tuesday, the National Rifle Association came out against the bill saying it ‘falls short at every level.’
‘It does little to truly address violent crime while opening the door to unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners,’ the statement said. ‘This legislation can be abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans, and use federal dollars to fund gun control measures being adopted by state and local politicians.’
Former President Donald Trump has also come out against the bill, hammering McConnell – who he had a falling out with once McConnell wasn’t supportive of the ‘big lie’ – for his support.
‘Mitch McConnell’s push for Republican Senators to vote for Gun Control will be the final straw,’ Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday. ‘Just like he gave away the ebt Ceiling and got NOTHING in return, or handed the Dems a great sound bite and victory with the Infrastructure Bill, which is actually all about the Green New Deal, he is now forcing approval of the FIRST STEP IN TAKING AWAY YOUR GUNS!’
‘Republican Senators SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR THIS CAREER ENDING BILL!!!’ Trump wrote.
Trump also referred to Cornyn as a ‘RINO,’ a Republican in name only.
The Senate’s votes took place just hours after the Supreme Court struck down a New York state law that made people give ‘proper cause’ if they wanted to carry a handgun in public.
The fresh ruling opens to door to permitting all law-abiding Americans to carry concealed and loaded handguns in public.