The U.S. House passed a bill on Friday banning assault rifles similar to those used in the massacres and sent it to the Senate, where it will likely be overthrown.
In a largely partisan vote of 217 to 213, Democrats approved the measure amid public outcry against the massacres, where AR-15 rifles were used to kill and injure schoolchildren and adults engaged in daily activities.
“It’s easier for a teenager to buy than beer,” Democratic lawmaker Lloyd Doggett said during the debate. We have turned our churches, schools, shopping malls, entertainment houses, and almost every other place into a war zone with massacres one after another,” he said.
Democrats have been trying for years to renew the federal gun ban, which was first implemented in 1994 and expired in 2004.
According to a 2021 study by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the ban resulted in a significant decrease in massacres.
The 100-member Senate was split 50-50 between House-controlling Republicans and Democrats, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris as ceremonial president and having the power to break the tie.
But Senate rules require most legislation to need the support of at least 60 senators to move forward, meaning Republicans can avoid even debate of a bill.
source: Noticias
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