Where does Congress stand now on gun control measures?

Votes in the House of Representatives show intent, but mean little without action in the Senate, writes Chris Stevenson

Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, the day of the House vote (AP)

Midway through last week, the US House of Representatives passed a package of legislation to tighten gun controls called the “Protecting Our Kids Act”. The vote on the act took place just hours after emotional testimony was given to a House committee by those affected by gun violence.

Those testifying included 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, a student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, who described covering herself in her classmate’s blood in an effort to pretend she was dead. “I put it all over me,” she said in a pre-recorded video, adding that she wants “to have security” and is afraid of experiencing another school shooting.

In a sign of the polarising nature of the issue of gun control in Congress, the vote on the measures – which include individual bills that would raise the legal age to buy certain semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 years old, and establish new federal offences for gun trafficking and for selling large-capacity magazines – passed by 223 to 204. Five Republicans joined those backing the bill, including Chris Jacobs of New York, whom I have written about previously. Two Democrats joined the majority of the Republican members in voting no.

“We are on a crusade for the children, and – sadly now – by the children. Children testifying in committee,” House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said during the debate on the bill. Ohio representative Jim Jordan – a Republican – responded with this: “The speaker started by saying this bill is about protecting our kids. That is important ... That’s what she said: ‘Protecting our kids is important.’ Yes, it is. But this bill doesn’t do it. What this bill does is take away second-amendment rights, God-given rights, protected by our constitution from law-abiding American citizens.”

While the Democrats hold the majority in the House, the Senate is a different matter. But despite the Republican opposition to stricter control measures in the narrowly divided Senate, there was a potential breakthrough on Sunday.

A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement on a framework for a firearms safety bill with enough Republican support for it to advance.

The plan includes support for tougher criminal background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and a crackdown on “straw purchases” by people buying weapons for others who could not pass a background check.

The framework is far less ambitious than proposals offered by Joe Biden, who nevertheless welcomed the breakthrough.

The move adds weight to a growing sense that things might change this time – but the window for building momentum on gun control has proved to be short-lived before.

As we enter a new week, with Washington also consumed by the Capitol riot hearings, that window is closing even faster. Votes such as the one in the House last week put legislation in play – but there needs to be more than that.