By ALICIA A.CALDWELL

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House has passed a new 10-year ban on firearms that that can evade metal detectors and X-ray machines.

The bill cleared the chamber by voice vote, receiving broad bipartisan support. It was a first for gun legislation since last year's massacre at a Connecticut school.

Democrats who supported the bill described it as imperfect and lamented that it was not amended to require that plastic guns have metal components necessary to fire them. Still, Rep. Robert Scott, a Virginia Democrat, said letting the ban expire as scheduled next week would have been a public safety issue.