“Today, our Democratic Majority will take up and pass the Assault Weapons Ban legislation: a critical step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our country,” Pelosi said in a letter to members of the House. her team. Friday’s vote comes as progressives, moderates and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are divided over how to handle the policing funding component of a broader public safety package, which will no longer be included in Friday’s vote series. While negotiations on this continue, sources said, key negotiators hoped to settle both issues with the hope of a vote on both packages as soon as Friday. Moderate and vulnerable Democrats were pushing for a vote on policing legislation before leaving town in an effort to counter Republican attacks on police defunding, but CBC members had concerns and were pushing for accountability language. The deal to try to combine both pieces of legislation came together late Thursday night and was negotiated by Pelosi, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio and moderate Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. But other members of the Congressional Black and Progressive Caucus were frustrated at being kept out of the loop, which is ultimately why Democratic leadership decided to split the bills. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a meeting Friday morning, and sources say many were disappointed they were not given equal bargaining power. “This had to happen over several weeks to give us time to negotiate stronger police accountability measures,” a CBC member employee told CNN. “Then they started this deal on us in the middle of the night with no hearings, committee or time for members to read the text much less debate.” When asked about the dispute by CNN, Beatty denied there were any problems within her team. “There is no disenchantment with the Congress of Black Congresses,” he said. “We have a big stage. And what I’m most proud of is that we were able to go in today and take the lead. Look where we were 48 hours ago.” He added: “There was no failure here.” The House is set to depart Washington for a month-long recess starting Friday afternoon. Pelosi could call lawmakers back to town before September for specific circumstances, which she likely would if Senate Democrats pass separate bills on climate change and prescription drug pricing in the coming weeks. House Democrats held an open procedural vote for more than an hour Friday as Pelosi, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Gottheimer and others gathered on the House floor to negotiate. Eventually, word broke during the vote that the leadership was splitting the pack. The US previously had an assault weapons ban first implemented in 1994, which expired in 2004. Earlier this year, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to address gun violence that amounted to the first major federal safety legislation of weapons for decades. The legislation included millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It also made major changes to the process when someone aged 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called friend loophole, a victory for Democrats, who have long fought for it. In a hearing Wednesday before the Committee House Oversight, CEOs of two major gun makers faced questions from lawmakers about sales of AR-15-style weapons, which have been used in many of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings. “This is an extremely lethal weapon, designed to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield,” said the committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York. “Yet the gun industry has flooded our neighborhoods, our schools, and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons and gotten rich doing it.” The commission also released its investigation finding, which alleges that gun manufacturers selling assault rifles have used questionable marketing tactics, including appealing to white supremacists, “preying” on young men’s masculinity and running ads that mimic video games. This story has been updated with additional developments on Friday. CNN’s Melanie Zanona and Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
