KEY VOTE TRACKER
The full congressional record on gun safety legislation. What passed, what failed, and who blocked it.
United States v. Rahimi (SCOTUS 2024)
No. 22-915
Supreme Court upheld (8-1) the federal law prohibiting people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. The case tested the bounds of the 2022 Bruen decision. The Court found the law consistent with historical tradition of disarming dangerous individuals.
A major victory for gun safety advocates after the Bruen decision (2022) had raised concerns it would strike down domestic violence firearm restrictions. An estimated 4.5 million women in the U.S. report having been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
S. 2938· 117th Congress
First federal gun safety legislation in 28 years. Enhanced background checks for buyers under 21, closed the "boyfriend loophole" in domestic violence firearm restrictions, funded crisis intervention programs (red flag), and tightened licensing requirements for gun dealers.
The first major federal gun legislation since the 1994 assault weapons ban. Passed in the aftermath of Uvalde (21 killed) and Buffalo (10 killed). Notably left out assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and magazine limits.
Protecting Our Kids Act
H.R. 7910· 117th Congress
Would have raised the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, banned high-capacity magazines (10+ rounds), required safe storage of firearms, and banned bump stocks. Passed the House 223–204 but was never brought to a Senate vote.
Passed two days after the Uvalde school shooting. Would have prevented the 18-year-old Uvalde shooter — who legally purchased his AR-15 — from obtaining the weapon. Senate Republicans blocked it from ever reaching a vote.
Assault Weapons Ban of 2022
H.R. 1808· 117th Congress
Would have banned the sale, manufacture, transfer, and importation of semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. Passed the House 217–213 but never received a Senate vote.
The 1994 federal assault weapons ban — which this would have restored — expired in 2004. AR-style rifles have been used in nearly every major mass shooting since, including Uvalde, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, Aurora, Orlando, and Parkland.
Bipartisan Background Checks Act
H.R. 8· 117th Congress
Would have required a federal background check for every firearm sale or transfer in the United States, closing the "gun show loophole" that allows private sales without checks. Passed the House 227–203 but died in the Senate.
Nearly 90% of Americans support universal background checks, yet this bill has failed in the Senate repeatedly. Roughly 22% of all U.S. gun sales occur without a background check.
STOP School Violence Act / Fix NICS Act
H.R. 4909 / S. 2135· 115th Congress
Enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (omnibus spending bill). Fix NICS improved reporting of criminal records to the federal background check system. Passed following the Parkland shooting. Notably did not include the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act that the NRA and House Republicans had sought to attach.
A narrow, bipartisan fix that improved record-sharing but left universal background checks, assault weapons restrictions, and magazine limits untouched. The gun lobby supported Fix NICS as a way to block more expansive reforms.
ATF Bump Stock Ban (Executive Action)
83 FR 66514· 115th Congress
After Congress failed to legislate a bump stock ban following the 2017 Las Vegas massacre (60 killed, 411 injured), the Trump administration used executive action to reclassify bump stocks as machine guns under the National Firearms Act. The rule went into effect March 2019. Struck down by SCOTUS in Garland v. Cargill (June 2024).
Congress could have permanently banned bump stocks via legislation but chose not to act. Instead, an executive rule — vulnerable to court challenge — was used. In June 2024, the Supreme Court (6-3) struck down the rule, restoring legal bump stock sales. The shooter in Las Vegas used 12 rifles equipped with bump stocks, firing more than 1,000 rounds in 10 minutes.
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
H.R. 38· 115th Congress
Would have forced all 50 states to recognize concealed carry permits from every other state, including states with no permit requirements (permitless carry). Would have nullified stricter state concealed carry laws. Passed the House 231–198 but stalled in the Senate.
Backed by the NRA as a top priority. Would have effectively overridden gun safety laws in states like California and New York. Police organizations, including IACP, opposed the bill.
THE PATTERN IS CLEAR
Gun safety bills pass the House, get blocked in the Senate by filibuster.
It takes 60 Senate votes to overcome a filibuster. The gun lobby only needs to hold 41.
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