contentious vote in the house. ultimately passing by just a two-vote martin. 216-the 214. one of the narrowist legislative victories in history. once attached to the larger crime bill the whole thing went back to congress in the fall of '1994. in his book "my life," former president clinton remembered a direct appeal from democrats. just before the house vote on the crime bill, speaker tom foley and majority leader dick gephardt made a last-ditch appeal to remove the assault weapons ban from the bill. they said that if we made them walk the plank on the assault weapons ban, the overall bill might not pass and that if it did, many democrats who voted for it would not survive the election in november. their concerns turned out to be justified. 54 democrats including speaker foley himself lost their seats that november in the so-called republican revolution of that year. in part by pro-gun voters mobilized by the national rifle association. michigan congressman john dingle was one of the democrats