WASHINGTON (AP) - Capping two days of action on gun control, the House has passed legislation to allow a review period of up to 10 days for background checks on firearms purchases.
Democrats led approval Thursday, 228-198, with a handful of defections and scant Republican support. The bill stems from the 2015 shooting at Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina, where nine black worshippers died in 2015 at the hands of a white supremacist. A faulty background check allowed the gunman's firearm purchase after the required three-day review period expired.
On Wednesday, the House passed bipartisan legislation requiring federal background checks for all gun sales and transfers.
The bills are expected to languish in the Republican-controlled Senate. The White House has threatened a veto.
5th District Congresswoman Jahana Hayes addressed the House floor for the first time, and focused on gun violence. She said nearly 40,000 people die of gun-related injuries per year. While mass shootings often dominate the headlines, Hayes said they can't continue to turn a blind eye to gun violence happening on a daily basis in cities all over the country, even her hometown of Waterbury.
Hayes says as a teacher and a mother she's seen firsthand how the fear of violence affects children. She says Congress has failed communities for too long by staying silent on the issue. She believes Americans are ready for common sense legislation.
