The most significant piece of gun safety legislation in decades was sent to President Biden's desk on Friday, after easily passing the House 234-193. 14 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the bill, NBC News reports.
The bipartisan legislation, concocted by a group of senators in response to an influx of mass shootings nationwide (including those inside an elementary school in Texas and a supermarket in Buffalo), had cleared the Senate 65-33 the night prior.
"As I say to members all the time with legislation, do not judge it for what isn't in it. But respect it for what is." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday, before the vote. "And there's much to be respected in this legislation."
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"To those who lacked the courage to join in this work, I say your political survival is insignificant compared to the survival of our children," she added.
The gun safety bill includes increased funding for mental health; incentives for states to pass so-called "red flag" laws, which allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate guns from an individual deemed a danger to themselves or others; enhanced background checks; and the end of the "boyfriend loophole." Still, some Democrats criticized the legislation for not going far enough to address gun violence, Politico notes.
President Biden is expected to sign the bill immediately.
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