House and Senate Debate Gun Control

This week, the House will vote on gun control legislation (HR 7910), which would increase the age to buy certain rifles and limit magazine sizes, codify regulations banning bump stocks, ghost guns and safe storage provisions.  Rep. Spanberger (D-VA) and 20 other Democrats wrote to Speaker Pelosi requesting that the legislation be divided into individual proposals to build as much bipartisan support as possible before the legislation heads to the Senate. Democratic leaders also want to move a bill sponsored by Rep. McBath (D-GA), whose son was murdered by a gunman in 2012 and the legislation would allow seizure of someone's guns in emergency situations.

In the Senate, a bipartisan group of senators continue to negotiate limited measures to help prevent mass shootings, though a deal is far from certain.  Sens. Murphy (D-CT) and Cornyn (R-TX) are leading the bipartisan talks and said the group is “closer than ever before” to a package of gun measures that can meet the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.   Sen. Murphy said one focus of the Senate talks is negotiating measures to identify people in the 18- to 21-year-old age range that could present a danger and prevent them from acquiring guns.