Many House Democrats had been advocating for an assault weapons ban prior to the August recess. After the “success” of a bipartisan gun reform bill, the Democrats decided to double-down and push for stronger legislation guaranteed to get no GOP support.
Many of the Democratic caucus members were disappointed to hear that hopes of this bill being brought up for a vote on Wednesday fell apart. They were heard as the bill was revived and is scheduled to go to a vote today.
Stephen Gutowski The ReloadThere are many more.
After progressives and members of the Congressional Black Caucus agreed to postpone a vote on a bill funding police officers and instead move on with the ban, the turnaround was achieved. Democratic leadership had planned for the bundle of both initiatives as a compromise between all the parties. The police funding bill was not considered by CBC or progressive members.
This will allow the House to vote only on the assault weapons ban. Democrats, however, continue negotiations over funding.
“Today, our Democratic Majority will take up and pass the Assault Weapons Ban legislation: a crucial step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our nation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said in a message to members.
More liberal Democratic members would benefit from the passage of this ban, which will provide them with another message win as they head into the midterm election. It would also likely hurt members in more moderate districts, especially given the falling popularity of banning so-called assault weapons over the past few years.
According to Gutowski, the legislation would “ban future sales of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that are equipped with one or more features such as a barrel shroud, flash suppressor, or pistol grip.” It also specifically mentions certain guns by name, guns that Democrats have called “weapons of war” like the AR-15 and AK-47.
The process of procedural voting is underway.
The procedural vote was open on the House’s floor for one hour, while Democrats tried to decide if they would vote on assault weapons or a policing program. When today’s session is over, summer break begins. pic.twitter.com/7utX1RF8qu
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) July 29, 2022
Originally, the bill would have been scheduled for after the August recess, but passing the bill ahead of time allows for Democrats in need of another issue to run on a chance to tout it at town hall meetings and on the campaign trail during the recess – valuable time for Democrats ahead of this midterm year.
Gutowski points to the danger that this legislation might end up hurting Democrats from moderate or swing districts. At best, polling data on this subject is sketchy. Although most Americans support stricter gun controls, the majority of Americans tend to favor policies that are more restrictive than those proposed by Democrats. They could lose more votes to placate their loudest voices.
Pelosi has a 4+1 majority and may require the support of Republicans in order to pass the bill. However, it’s also very likely that Pelosi wouldn’t be bringing the bill up for a vote if she doesn’t already have the numbers to pass it.
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