Eight House Republicans joined all but two Democrats to vote for increased gun control Tuesday.
The House of Representatives passed the “Bipartisan Background Checks Bill (H.R. 8)” by a vote of 240 to 190. The bill would expand background checks for nearly every gun sale, but is not expected to pass the Republican-held senate. (RELATED: Republicans And Democrats Debate Gun Registration Ahead Of House Gun Control Votes)
The Republicans who voted in favor of the bill include:
- Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who has served in Congress since 2002 and was easily re-elected in Florida’s 25th district during the 2018 midterms
- Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, who has represented Florida’s 16th district in Congress since 2007
- Florida Rep. Brian Mast, who is an advocate for gun control and has criticized gun rights groups such as the NRA
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) speaks during an interview for Reuters on Capitol Hill in Washington February 14, 2017. Picture taken February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
- Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who won a close race last November to represent Pennsylvania’s newly re-drawn first district, and has been a staunch supporter of gun control
- Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who won one of the closest races in the country during the 2018 midterms and has voted with the Democrats on critical issues such as health care and immigration
- New York Rep. Pete King, who has been in Congress for a quarter-century and has previously advocated for Congress to pass tighter gun control laws
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 15: (L-R) U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar , President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, and U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) walk down the House steps at the Capitol after the Friends of Ireland luncheon March 15, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
- New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith also voted in support of increased background checks, a policy proposal he has previously championed
- Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, who represents a moderate district in Michigan and is widely known for his bipartisanship