Jul 15, 2022 - Politics & Policy

House to take up assault weapons ban next week

Erin Doherty

Activist, family and friends of the victims of the Highland Park and Uvalde mass shootings rallied near the U.S. Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C — Activists, family and friends of the victims of the Highland Park and Uvalde mass shootings protest near the U.S. Capitol on July 13. Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is set to consider legislation next week that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons, the panel said Friday.

Why it matters: The proposed legislation, which comes after a spate of mass shootings that killed at least 42 people in the past two months, is a rare step for the Judiciary Committee, which hasn't voted on an assault weapon ban in nearly three decades, Punchbowl News reports.

Driving the news: The committee will meet on Wednesday to markup the bill, which is being called the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2021" and would "ban the sale, import, manufacture or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons."

The bill has 211 Democratic co-sponsors. No Republicans have signaled their support to date.
"Over the past several decades, our country has witnessed senseless killing after senseless kill and each time one fact has remained remarkably consistent—the weapon of choice for mass slaughter is a high-powered assault weapon," Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

Reality check: The bill does not call for the removal or confiscation of any covered weapon that any American currently owns, Punchbowl notes.

Catch up quick: The House earlier this week passed a separate bill to create an active shooter alert network.

Go deeper... House passes active shooter alert bill

Add Axios on Google

House to take up assault weapons ban next week

What to read next