It was the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide.
The high-powered firearms that were once banned in the U.S. are now blamed for many of the most devastating mass shooting. The restrictions on the manufacture and sale of weapons were put in place in 1994 but were not renewed after a decade.
Pelosi said the earlier ban saved lives.
Republicans dismissed the House legislation as an election year strategy by Democrats. The bill passed with almost all Republicans voting against it. It will probably stall in the Senate.
The bill comes at a time of heightened concern about gun violence and shootings, including the supermarket shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., the massacre of school children in Uvalde, Texas, and the July Fourth shootings of revelers in Highland Park, Ill.
As Congress splits along party lines and lawmakers are forced to go on the record with their views, voters seem to be taking such election year votes seriously. A recent vote to protect same-sex marriages won a lot of bipartisan support.
If the bill made it to the president's desk, he would sign it. His administration said before the vote that the ban on assault weapons would save lives.
Mass shootings declined while the ban was in place. Mass shootings increased when the ban expired.
Republicans were against limits on the ownership of high-powered firearms during an emotional debate ahead of the vote.
Reschenthaler said it was a gun grab.
An armed America is a great place to live.
Democrats argued that Republicans are out of step with Americans because of the ban on weapons.
McGovern said that the weapons ban is not about taking away Americans' Second Amendment rights, but making sure that children have the right to not get shot in school.
A poster of a gun company's advertisement for children's weapons, smaller versions that look like the popular AR-15 rifles and are marketed with cartoon-like characters was displayed by Pelosi. She described it as "disgusting."
It is against the law to import, sell or manufacture a long list of semi-automatic weapons. Those already in possession are exempt.
Democrats have been unwilling to confront the gun lobby since the previous ban expired. Democrats dared to act before the election because voter opinions seem to be changing. Voters will get information about where the candidates stand on the issue.
Democrats tried to link the weapons ban to a package of public safety measures that would have increased federal funding. It's something centrist Democrats in tough re- election campaigns wanted to protect them from political attacks by their Republican opponents.
In August, the House will revisit the public safety bills, as well as other remaining legislation, including Biden's priority inflation-fighting package of health care and climate change strategies.
In the wake of the tragic shooting of 19 school children and two teachers in Uvalde, Congress passed a small gun violence prevention package. The bipartisan bill was the first of its kind after years of failed attempts to confront the gun lobby.
The law provides for more background checks on young adults buying guns. Those convicted of domestic abuse outside of marriages will not be allowed to buy guns.
Federal funding to the states was freed up by the new law, as well as for "red flag" laws that allow authorities to remove guns from people who are suicidal.
At a time when the US Supreme Court is considering gun rights and other issues, there was a modest effort to stop gun violence.
The Supreme Court struck down a New York law that prevented people from carrying concealed weapons.
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