House passes gun control legislation

The House passed gun control legislation on Wednesday evening that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semiautomatic rifle and ban the sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.

The vote was 223 to 204, mostly along party lines. The package was crafted in response to the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, with the vote taking place just hours after a student who survived the Uvalde massacre and the parents of victims testified before lawmakers. A pediatrician who treated several of the children who were shot described their bodies as being "pulverized" and "decapitated" by bullets.

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said lawmakers might not be able to "save every life, but my God, shouldn't we try? America we hear you, and today in the House we are taking the action you are demanding. Take note of who is with you and who is not." Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was one of the Republicans who opposed the measure, saying, "The answer is not to destroy the Second Amendment, but that is exactly where the Democrats want to go."

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The legislation is not expected to pass the evenly-divided Senate, where a bipartisan group of senators is working on a more moderate agreement that focuses on background checks, school security, and mental health programs.