WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed a package of gun violence prevention measures on a mostly party-line vote Wednesday evening, even as the bill faces little hope of clearing the evenly divided Senate.
Five Republicans joined Democrats in a 223-204 vote for a bill that rolled together eight other gun control bills, such as raising the age to 21 to buy certain rifles, limiting magazine sizes and codifying existing gun control regulations.
It faces stiff headwinds in the Senate. During the floor debate, Democrats said Congress must address a surge in mass shootings in recent weeks, both at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and across the country.
