House lawmakers in a vote of 234-193 passed the bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. A total of 14 Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill.
The legislation will enhance background checks for firearm buyers under 21, extend ownership restrictions for convicted domestic abusers, provide funding for states to develop so-called "red flag" laws, and increase spending on mental health services. Those marked by "red flag" laws will be allowed to dispute the ban in the short term and restore their gun ownership right.
The bill would also order federal officials to establish a Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Evidence-based Practices to identify and publish recommendations to improve school safety for use by educational agencies, law enforcement, health professionals and the general public.
The Safer Communities Act became the first gun control legislation in decades supported by representatives of both parties and successfully passed by Congress. It was developed by a bipartisan group of senators after ten GOP lawmakers from the upper chamber expressed their support for the framework of the future bill, despite the Republicans in general opposing laws limiting the Second Amendment.
By the time the bill was finalized and introduced to the Senate, four additional GOP senators agreed to back it, including the leader of the Republican minority Mitch McConnell, who called it a "commonsense package of popular steps". The evenly-split Senate then successfully overcame the filibuster with 64 votes in favor and passed the bill.
The rare case of limited cooperation between Democrats and Republicans on gun control came in the wake of public calls to deal with the issue of mass shootings. The US was rocked by a spate of gun violence over May and June, with the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas becoming one of the most shocking cases. An 18-year-old fatally shot 19 children and two adults, and injured an additional 17 people, on 24 May using an M4 carbine variant.