HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania House passed a bill Tuesday that would require universal background checks for gun purchases in the state.

House Bill 1593 passed almost entirely along party lines, just three Democrats opposed the bill while five Republicans supported it, with a 104-99 vote.

Currently, background checks are only required when someone purchases a handgun in the state. Pennsylvania State Police run about a million such checks each year, but the law does not require them for long guns.

Rep. Perry Warren (D-Bucks County) first teased the bill back in December 2024, but House Democrats forced it and two other gun control bills out of committee last week after a York County man ambushed five police officers, killing three. Investigators said he used an AR-15-style rifle in the attack.

The other bills could not generate enough support in the House, even from Democrats who hold a slim majority.

House Bill 1859 would have created a red flag law, allowing courts to temporarily ban people deemed a risk to themselves or others from possessing a firearm. That failed by just one vote — 101-102.

House Bill 1099, which would have banned ghost guns, also failed by the same margin.

Now the bill enacting universal background checks heads to the State Senate, where it faces an uphill battle against a Republican majority.