The legislation, called the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, passed by a vote of 217-213. One Republican did not vote. Five Democrats opposed the bill, despite banning assault weapons being a top priority for the party heading into midterm elections. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.) all voted no. On the Republican side, leadership recommended that conference members vote no on the bill, according to a GOP congressional aide. That prompt, however, didn’t stop Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Chris Jacobs (RN.Y.) from sponsoring the legislation. Cuellar and Golden’s votes against the measure came as no surprise. Golden voted against the rule on the bill on Friday, a sign that he opposed the legislation. He has also opposed a number of gun-related bills in the past, including a measure to nationalize red flag laws, a bipartisan gun safety bill that passed the Senate and was signed into law, and a firearms bill that, among other things, would have raised the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic handgun from 18 to 21. Cuellar last month signaled he would not vote for the bill, saying, “I don’t believe in gun bans.” “Do I believe in certain limitations? Yes. But banning guns? No,” he added. Gonzalez also voted against the assault weapons ban rule on Friday, a sign that he would likely oppose the measure when it comes to the floor for a final vote. In a statement Friday night, the Texas Democrat said banning certain models of assault weapons “will do nothing to reduce the overall risks,” noting the millions of assault rifles already in circulation in the U.S. “Our focus should be on keeping guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others,” he said. The lawmaker called on the Senate to take up gun legislation previously passed by the House, including measures to ban the use of high-capacity magazines by citizens and strengthen background checks. Schrader was the third Democrat to vote against the rule on Friday and expressed reservations about assault weapons bans before then. He suggested to Politico last week that the bill was on a “death wish list” for Democrats, pointing to the Republican victory in the 1994 midterm elections after then-President Clinton signed the assault weapons ban. “This is a bill that destroyed the Democrats in ’94. I guess we really have a death wish list as Democrats?” Shredder said. The Oregon Democrat also said he is concerned about the assault weapons ban because he believes it would undermine the bipartisan package that Congress passed and Biden signed into law last month. “It undermines what we’ve already done, and it again emphasizes to all people in America who are not die-hard inner-city Democrats that our party is out of touch,” he told the newspaper. It was unclear how Kind would vote on the assault weapons ban before it went to the floor. The lawmaker previously voted against two provisions of the gun package passed by the House last month — one that would have banned citizens from using high-capacity magazines and one that would have strengthened safe gun storage in homes where minors can access them. arms. The Hill reached out to the five Democrats for comment on their votes. In a statement after Friday’s vote, Jacobs said that while he supports the Second Amendment and the right to self-defense, he is not in favor of “easy access to high-powered semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines that have repeatedly resulted in mass casualty shootings.” He referenced the May mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, in which 10 black men were killed at a grocery store, writing that the guns banned in the bill “have been shown to cause tremendous damage quickly.” “We have a duty to ensure the safety of all Americans. These weapons do not belong in our communities. Although this bill is not perfect, I believe it will save innocent lives,” he said. Jacobs’ vote comes as no surprise. The New York Democrat announced in May that he would support an assault weapons ban, sparking outrage in his party. A week later, the MP said he would not run for a second term in Parliament. During Friday’s vote, Jacobs said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.) approached him in the speaker’s lobby to point out how close the final tally would be. Asked by The Hill if the leadership was trying to get him to change his vote, Jacobs said “it wasn’t a heavy, heavy duty, it was just showing how close it was.” Fitzpatrick told The Hill Friday night that he ultimately decided to vote for the assault weapons ban after thinking about a family from Parkland, Fla., who experienced loss after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. If the two Republicans had voted with their party in the final vote, it might have been tied 215-215, preventing Democrats from reaching the 216-vote threshold needed to pass the bill. One Republican did not vote. Fitzpatrick told The Hill that McCarthy and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) did not approach him during the vote. “They know I’m doing my thing,” he said. “I’ve developed that reputation.” GOP senators skeptical Trump can win 2024 Man arrested for allegedly making bomb threat against Arizona state election official Emily Brooks contributed. — Updated at 10:56 p.m
