House Passes Bill to Lengthen Gun Sale Background Checks

WASHINGTON (AP) —
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) speaks at press conference on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images/File)

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.

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