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How San Diego’s politicians voted on gun laws last year

Several local representatives weighed in on background check resolutions in 2021.

SAN DIEGO — CBS 8 is taking a closer look at the voting records of politicians when it comes to gun legislation.

A viewer left us a voicemail wanting to know how local congress members voted on proposed gun laws.

The U.S. congress voted on two gun control bills in 2021 having to do with background checks.

The Bipartisan Background Checks Act (HR 8) aimed to close a loophole allowing gun buyers to avoid background checks when purchasing a gun through a private party.

Democratic congress members Mike Levin, Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, and Sara Jacobs voted in favor.  Republican representative Darrell Issa voted against it.

HR 8 passed the House but no vote has been set in the U.S. Senate.

The Enhanced Background Checks Act (HR 1446) aimed to close another loophole that said background checks had to be completed in three days.

Again, the bill passed in the House along party lines, with San Diego county's only republican congressman, Darrell Issa, voting against it.

HR 1446 has not made it to the U.S. Senate.

Those same two background-check bills were voted on by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in an advisory vote in April of last year.

Democratic supervisors Nora Vargas, Terra Lawson-Remer, and Nathan Fletcher voted in favor.  Republicans Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond voted against it.

In the city of San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria put out a statement last year supporting both gun background check resolutions stating: 

“These bills will help keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, reduce needless violence and create a safer nation for all of us."

Then, in August of last year, the San Diego city council voted to ban ghost guns. 

The entire city council voted in favor of the ban, except for Councilman Chris Cate in District 6.

Cate expressed his opposition during the 2021 hearing saying, “The law does nothing to prevent mass shootings. This law does nothing to hold criminals accountable. This law does nothing to make us safer.”

CBS 8 reached out to Darrell Issa, Jim Desmond, Joel Anderson, and Chris Cate. None responded to our request for comment.

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