The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill to criminalize the sale, manufacture, transfer, possession or importation of various types of semi-automatic weapons in the country.
Matter reactivates restrictions first imposed in 1994 but expired a decade later. Authored by Democratic lawmaker David Cicilline, whose party is trying to impose tighter controls on firearms after the recent shootings in the country, the bill passed with 217 votes in favor and 213 against, with almost all Republican representatives voting against.
Now, the matter goes to the Senate, where the two parties share the house with 50 seats each.
