Democrats take over the House in gun-law protest
Print Edition
WEARY but defiant Democrats commandeered the House floor yesterday morning, demanding gun-control votes in the aftermath of the Orlando massacre in an extraordinary 24-hour protest broadcast live to the world on social media.
Hours earlier, Republicans who control the House had exited the Capitol, branding the sit-in a publicity stunt and summarily adjourning the chamber about 3:15am until after July 4.
One by one, Democrats delivered speeches that mixed victory declarations with promises not to back down in their drive to curb firearm violence. Placards with photos of gun victims and the phone number of the Capitol switchboard were prominently displayed on the floor.
When Republicans streamed to the exits hours earlier, Democrats stayed behind on the House floor, shouting “No bill, no break!” and waving papers with the names of gun victims written in black.
With a crowd cheering them on from outside the Capitol and many more watching on social media, Democrats declared success in dramatizing the argument for action to stem gun violence.
“Just because they cut and run in the dark of night, just because they have left doesn’t mean we are taking no for an answer,” said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
Republicans fiercely resisted the pressure and said Democrats had accomplished nothing other than disrupting the business of the House to score political points. House Speaker Paul Ryan called it “a publicity stunt.”
Georgia representative John Lewis, who had participated in the civil rights sit-ins in the South in the 1960s, said Democrats had “crossed one bridge.” He added: “We have other bridges to cross,” and said Democrats “made a down payment on ending gun violence” in America.
At one point overnight, the two sides nearly came to blows after Louie Gohmert, of Texas, approached the Democrats and yelled, “Radical Islam!” Florida’s Corrine Brown started yelling back. The two came within inches of each other, both screaming, only to be separated by colleagues.
Pressure had built on Capitol Hill following the shootings at a Florida gay nightclub this month that killed 49 people and injured 53 others. The assailant also died in the incident. The mass attack followed similar tragic incidents over the past years including the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
The agitation for action caused a Senate filibuster last week and led to the chaos in the House, a spectacle that captured the attention of a Washington gridlocked on guns.
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