
© Greg Nash
Eight House Republicans voted with Democrats on Wednesday to support legislation that would require universal background checks for gun sales, despite opposition from the gun lobby.
Nearly all the Republicans who broke with their party are centrists, including several who represent competitive swing districts.
The number of GOP defectors was only slightly higher than the five Republicans who had signed on as co-sponsors to the legislation.
Those five are Rep. Pete King
Peter (Pete) KingTop GOP lawmakers call for Swalwell to be removed from Intelligence Committee Republican Garbarino wins election to replace retiring Rep. Pete King Katko announces bid to serve as top Republican on Homeland Security panel MORE (N.Y.), who co-authored the bill with Rep. Mike Thompson
Charles (Mike) Michael ThompsonGun violence prevention groups optimistic background check legislation can pass this Congress Democrats reintroduce gun sale background check legislation Biden pledges action on guns amid resistance MORE (D-Calif.), as well as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick
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But three more Republicans joined them in supporting final passage of the measure Wednesday: Reps. Vern Buchanan
Vernon Gale BuchananMORE (Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart
Mario Rafael Diaz-BalartFlorida Republicans push Biden to implement Trump order on Venezuela Here are the three GOP lawmakers who voted for the Equality Act Bottom line MORE (Fla.) and Will Hurd
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“Our laws cannot be effective if there are gaping loopholes that allow criminals and deranged individuals to purchase firearms at gun shows or over the Internet without being subject to background checks. Today I voted for HR 8 to close these loopholes - a proposal supported by over 90 percent of gun owners in America, according to respected polling organizations," Buchanan said in a statement, according to a local ABC affiliate.
The legislation would require universal background checks for gun sales, including at gun shows and in private online transactions. Current law only requires licensed firearms dealers to conduct background checks before making a sale.
But it does carve out exemptions for certain circumstances, including transfers between family members, use in hunting, and when "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm," such as domestic violence.
Hurd and Fitzpatrick both represent districts that Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonGraham: Trump can make GOP bigger, stronger, or he 'could destroy it' Hillicon Valley: China implicated in Microsoft breach | White House adds Big Tech critic | QAnon unfazed after false prediction Jill Biden redefines role of first lady MORE carried in 2016. The third House Republican in a Clinton district, Rep. John Katko
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Democrats also plan to target King, Mast and Upton in 2020, while Smith, Buchanan and Diaz-Balart are considered to represent safe GOP seats.
Mast won reelection last November by 9 points. He has gone beyond supporting an expansion of the background check to a more stringent gun control measure: an assault weapons ban.
Mast, an Army veteran who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan, wrote in a New York Times op-ed after last year's shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., "I cannot support the primary weapon I used to defend our people being used to kill children I swore to defend."
On the other side of the aisle, only two Democrats voted against the universal background checks bill: Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Collin Peterson
Collin Clark PetersonSix ways to visualize a divided America On The Trail: The political losers of 2020 OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump admin to sell oil leases at Arctic wildlife refuge before Biden takes office |Trump administration approves controversial oil testing method in Gulf of Mexico | Rep. Scott wins House Agriculture Committee gavel MORE (Minn.).

Both represent rural districts that President Trump
Donald TrumpUS, South Korea reach agreement on cost-sharing for troops Graham: Trump can make GOP bigger, stronger, or he 'could destroy it' Biden nominates female generals whose promotions were reportedly delayed under Trump MORE won in 2016.

Golden, a freshman, said he opposed the legislation because it's similar to a ballot initiative that Maine voters rejected in 2016.
"Maine isn’t Chicago, Washington, or New York. For many of my constituents, access to firearms is a necessary part of daily life and we have a tradition of responsible gun ownership," Golden said in a statement.
“To keep firearms out of the hands of criminal offenders, we need to strictly enforce the background check system already in place and provide it with the resources necessary to work," he added.
The House approved the background check legislation in a vote of 240-190 on Wednesday. Before the final vote, Republicans in the minority won on a procedural vote that added language to the bill requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be notified when immigrants who don't have legal status attempt to purchase a firearm.