Democratic lawmakers today staged a sit-in on the House floor, demanding a vote on gun control legislation. The lawmakers' dramatic action, which shut down the chamber, was a response to the June 12 mass shooting at an Orlando, Florida nightclub that killed 49 people and a response to Monday's vote that failed to advance four gun control amendments.
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a news conference with the House Democratic Caucus to call on House Speaker Paul Ryan to allow a vote on gun violence prevention legislation in Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S., June 22, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"Where is our courage?" asked Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. "Those who pursue common-sense improvement are beaten down. Reason is is put aside… What is the tipping point? Are we blind. Can we see? .. Give us a vote! we came here to do our job!"
Lewis told NBC News that "sometimes you are moved by history."
Georgia congressman John Lewis deployed a strategy from his days as a civil rights activist and staged a dramatic sit-in Wednesday on the House floor with his fellow Democrats to force a vote on gun control.
"Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary, sometimes you have to make a way out of no way," said Lewis, one of the last living icons of civil disobedience during the civil rights movement. "There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise, when you have to move your feet. This is the time. Now is the time to get in the way. The time to act is now. We will be silent no more."
He and roughly 40 fellow House Democrats vowed "to occupy the floor of the House until there is action."
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I'm on the House floor with @repjohnlewis & Dems staging a sit-in to demand action on commonsense gun legislation pic.twitter.com/byIivby5gG
— Rep. John Yarmuth (@RepJohnYarmuth) June 22, 2016
Thank you John Lewis for leading on gun violence where we need it most. https://t.co/vctfqAH5Wt
— President Obama (@POTUS) June 22, 2016
We are united! Democrats sit-in for an end to gun violence! #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/l2WtTmUToS
— Brenda Lawrence (@RepLawrence) June 22, 2016
Sometimes you have to get in the way. You have to make some noise by speaking up and speaking out against injustice & inaction #goodtrouble
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 22, 2016
C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras. Here are some tweets from Members of Congress during sit-in.https://t.co/vCI7C4fhUL
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 22, 2016
My colleagues & I have had enough. We are sitting-in on the House Floor until we get a vote to address gun violence. https://t.co/rTqrPifuUz
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 22, 2016
Just watched House Republicans shut down House as @HouseDemocrats began to sit down on floor to say #NoBillNoBreak. Amazing.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 22, 2016
The Sgt at Arms is asking us to stop taking photos and video from House floor. Republicans should turn the cameras back on. #NoBillNoBreak
— Rep. John Yarmuth (@RepJohnYarmuth) June 22, 2016
On the floor now, @HouseGOP determined to silence @HouseDemocrats demanding action on #gunviolence. We will not be silenced! #NoBillNoBreak
— Rep. Norma Torres (@NormaJTorres) June 22, 2016
LIVE on #Periscope https://t.co/Kl99tHzOh3
— Scott Peters (@ScottPetersSD) June 22, 2016
C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras.
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 22, 2016
We have to ask who we are as a people. Are we a people of progress or a people of inaction? #holdthefloor pic.twitter.com/I8IxD81FGb
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 22, 2016
