After nearly 10 hours of testimony, the U.S. House of Representatives finally voted on its bloated omnibus crammed with tough new gun control legislation Wednesday evening.
Hearings started at 10 a.m. and the votes were recorded at 7:20 p.m.
The Protecting Our Kids Act (H.R. 7910) contains the following provisions per the bill's official summary:
“This bill makes various changes to federal firearms laws, including to establish new criminal offenses and to expand the types of weapons and devices that are subject to regulation.
Among the changes, the bill
- generally prohibits the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals who are under 21 years of age;
- establishes new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking and related conduct;
- establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers);
- establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels;
- subjects bump stocks to regulation under federal firearms laws; and
- generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.”
This bill passed the House last night with a final vote of 223 to 204.
The following Republicans broke with their party to vote for the bill:
Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent and attorney, has represented a closely divided swing district containing a large portion of suburban Philadelphia since 2017.
The American Conservative Union (ACU) gives Fitzpatrick an abysmal 33.08% conservative “lifetime rating.”
The Cook Political Report rates his seat “Solid Republican.”
Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio
Gonzalez played for the Ohio State Buckeyes as a wide receiver. The Indianapolis Colts picked him in the first round of the NFL draft, but his career was cut short by injuries.
The football star-turned-politician first ran for Congress, and won, in 2018. He was reelected in 2020 and won by a landslide in the suburban Cleveland seat both times. After not voting to impeach President Trump in 2019, Gonzalez voted for the second impeachment resolution against the then-president, 12 days before he would leave office.
In retaliation, Trump endorsed former White House aide Max Miller to run against Gonzalez. On September 16, 2021, the embattled congressman announced he would not run for reelection.
While Gonzalez's prospects for securing a third term were shaky, at best, the seat is significantly more conservative than the nation as a whole. The Cook Political Report rates the race “Solid Republican.”
Chris Jacobs of New York
Jacobs became the first Republican Member of Congress to announce his support for an assault weapons ban following the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas. In the days following the shooting, Jacobs held a press conference where he declared his support for banning so-called assault weapons, high capacity magazines and body armor.
Jacobs announced seven days later that he was no longer seeking reelection, though he claimed the backlash he received following his call for gun control didn't affect his decision.
The seat is expected to remain in Republican hands.
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Elected in the Tea Party tidal wave of 2010, Rep. Adam Kinzinger has a 56.66% conservative “lifetime rating” from the ACU. Kinzinger incurred the wrath of former President Donald Trump relatively early and remains one of his most outspoken center-right critics.
Thanks to Illinois Democrats, Kinzinger's district was eliminated through an aggressive gerrymander. Recognizing his chances of surviving a GOP primary on unfamiliar ground were slim and frustrated with the current state of politics, Kinzinger decided to forgo reelection.
Fred Upton of Michigan
Upton has represented Southwest Michigan, including Kalamazoo, since 1987. However, he is retiring at the end of his current term.
Upton was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the U.S. Capitol riot and has become the fourth to announce their retirement.
Due to redistricting, Upton faced a challenging primary against Trump-endorsed Rep. Bill Huizenga.
The two Democrats who bucked their party to vote against the bill were Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon.
The package was broken into seven subcategories, including high capacity magazines, restrictions on so-called “ghost guns” and requirements for “safe” storage of firearms.
While a majority of votes were cast along party lines, some sections of the underlying bill divided the House Republican caucus.
Between the hours of 6 and 7 p.m., members also cast separate votes on all seven provisions included in the final package. Here are some of the most notable provisions in the bill, and the Republicans who voted for them, even if they voted against the final passage of the bill.
Restricting Sales and Transfers to Individuals under 21 (Title I):
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Fred Upton (Mich.)
Ghost Guns (Title III):
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Fred Upton (Mich.)
High Capacity Magazines (Title VI):
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Fred Upton (Mich.)
After many hours of virtue signaling and political posturing, members cast votes on measures that are almost certain to die in the Senate.
Senators are negotiating their own gun legislation, but there most likely won't be a package on the floor until the end of the month.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
What part of “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” do these people not understand?
They care nothing about the Constitution. The communists have been trying for over 50 years to take our guns. The communists in our government have shown their colors and true intent-disarm and control.
That whole bill will not get through the senate in it’s current state. This is just one more political stunt by Pelosi to stir things up. If we don’t purge these left wing democrats from our government, starting this November, we will lose our constitutional republic to their version of socialism.
the a$$ wipes in dc just don’t get do they? they can write all the laws they want..but they’re all in vioation of their oath of office and the constitution and I will not comply!!
Only a stupid person would disarm themselves and their countrymen , they should move to china
Canada is closer
canada was disarmed the other day.
They’re not Repubs. They’re nothing more than RINO trash.
ALL the RINOs as always
I fought in a country whose government (with the U.S. help) disarmed and took away their citizen’s guns in the name of “rehabilitation”. They are back under the Taliban control. Any guesses why? The 2nd Amendment will always be my rule, no matter what those idiots I’m the puzzle palace say or do.
Hey nanc? MOLON LABE. Personally please.
These rinos have proven themselves to be reliable communists.
These people who come up with these moronic excuses to take away all freedoms from others are the ones that will wind dead…when our home land comes under attack they better have one hellova root cellar to hide in …because that will be their ONLY defense from death.
Vote these guys out. Plenty of commie democrats to vote that way. America doesn’t need any more of them, especially if they call themselves Republicans. Lots of trials are going to be needed, after the war. Maybe they’ll get a cell with Adam Schiff.
For the drm gun grabbers out there, what exact part of this bill takes illegally possessed guns out of the hands of criminal thugs without punishing law abiding gun owners????? Please tell mebb
Better a Progressive Socialist I _know_ will try to curtail my rights, than a RINO whose loyalties change with the wind.
How about this for a deal: NO new restrictions on firearms?
Here’s a better idea:’ Place restrictions on criminals. I am a “little old lady.” I do not need some jerk with no firearm knowledge or experience telling me how many rounds I need in my magazine, what caliber I need, what cosmetic features I need on my firearm or how I need to store my firearms.
I also happen to be a certified NRA firearms instructor and a certified Texas LTC (License to Carry) instructor. I have a funny feeling that I know more about firearm safety and control than any of those so-called Republicans who voted for HB 7910. And they have a lot of nerve to name it the Protecting Our Kids Act when they refuse to harden the schools or earmark money to hire armed guards for every school in the country. Nut cases who want to attack a school, or any other location, don’t care how many hurdles you put in their way to purchase weapons; they will find a way to obtain them. There are only two ways to stop them:
1. Slow them down until the good guys get there by making the schools harder to access;
2. If they DO manage to gain access, stop them at the first sign of violence, either by an armed guard, preferably more than one per building, or by an armed staff or faculty member.
Anything else is going to be too little, too late. It has worked in airports, on airplanes and in numerous other locations. Isn’t it time to put the same safeguards in place at our schools? Stop trying to put limits on my rights. Start limiting access to the kids when they are in school.
I believe 80% of gun violence would be eliminated if Democrats were prevented from owning, possessing or purchasing firearms. I wonder how many others agree!
They are trying to stomp out all of our rights. YOU ONLY HAVE A JOB BECAUSE OF OUR VOTES AND NOW YOU WANT OUR FREEDOM TAKEN AWAY! YOUR BUTTS WILL BE VOTED OUT!!!!!