Washington, July 30 (TIWN) The US House of Representatives passed a bill to ban assault weapons with a narrow 217-213 vote, the first vote of its kind in 18 years amid the increase in gun violence across the country.

The legislation passed on Friday night would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, reports Xinhua news agency.  But it would allow the possession of any semiautomatic assault weapon lawfully possessed on the date of enactment and the sale or transfer of any semiautomatic assault weapon lawfully possessed on the date of enactment following a background check, among other things.