Democrats Advance Gun Control Bills From House Judiciary Committee

by Causes | 9.10.19

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed a trio of gun control bills after a lengthy markup hearing, including a ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition and a so-called “red flag law”. The committee originally planned to return early from summer recess to hold the hearing last week, but the plan was postponed in response to Hurricane Dorian.

The three gun control bills passed along party-line votes, and here’s a look at each.

• H.R. 1186 - Keep Americans Safe Act: This bill would ban “high capacity” ammunition magazines which carry more than 10 rounds. It has the support of 141 Democratic cosponsors. The Keep Americans Safe Act passed on a party-line vote of 23-16.
• H.R. 1236 - Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019 (includes provisions of H.R. 3076): This bill would provide grants to states to adopt laws providing for Extreme Risk Protection Orders to prevent those deemed a risk to themselves or others from accessing firearms, and establish procedures for obtaining ERPOs in federal court. H.R. 1236 has been cosponsored by 176 Democrats and two Republicans while H.R. 3076 has the support of 98 Democratic cosponsors. The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act passed on a party-line vote of 22-16.
• H.R. 2708 - Disarm Hate Act: This bill would make people convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes ineligible for gun ownership. It has the support of 142 Democratic cosponsors. The Disarm Hate Act passed on a party-line vote of 23-15.

What’s next for the bills?

House Democratic leadership hasn’t indicated when the bills will be brought to the floor for a vote, but Democrats would have the votes to pass them if and when that occurs. 

In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has indicated he won’t bring gun control legislation to the floor unless President Donald Trump says he would sign it into law. Given these standalone bills’ partisan nature that’s unlikely to occur, although the White House could potentially include provisions from these bills in a forthcoming gun violence prevention proposal.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Onandter_sean)