Weary House Democrats End Gun Control Sit-In

Heather Sells : Jun 24, 2016
CBN News

Although the weary group of legislators filed out of the chamber Thursday declaring victory, there are no indications that Republicans have met their demands.

(Washington, DC) – [CBN News] After 25½ grueling hours on the House floor, House Democrats finally ended their sit-in late yesterday, staged to force a vote on gun control. (Screengrab via CBN News)

In wake of the recent Orlando nightclub massacre, Democratic lawmakers were seeking measures to prevent suspected terrorists from buying firearms and expanded background checks for gun buyers.

Although the weary group of legislators filed out of the chamber Thursday declaring victory, there are no indications that Republicans have met their demands.

The protest, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, began Wednesday. Democrats broke House rules and began using their phones to record the proceedings, chanting "no bill, no break."

"The American people — they want us to do something," Lewis said.

"All we're asking are two minor things — no fly, no buy and the gun show loophole," Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, said.

Republicans, who departed the Capitol hours earlier, had dismissed the sit-in as a "political stunt." (Screengrab via CBN News)

"Why do I call this a stunt? Well, because it is one - let's just be honest here," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-WI told reporters Thursday. "They're staging protests. They're trying to get on TV. They're sending out fundraising emails."

Speaking earlier to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Ryan noted that there are already laws in place that must be applied.

"Let's focus on the issue at hand — and let's find out what we need to do to prevent future attacks," Ryan continued. "If a person is on a terror watch list and they go to buy a gun, we have procedures in place to deal with that."

Ryan ended the House session a little before 3 a.m. Thursday, with GOP lawmakers voting to adjourn until after the Fourth of July.

With several gun measures having already failed in the Senate, some Republicans argue that the real issue is fighting radical Islamic terrorism.

Meanwhile, Democrats say they'll resume their gun control fight next month.

"We have other bridges to cross and when we come back in July we will start all over again," Lewis vowed.

 But Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate, say Democrats don't have the votes and they can't expect any protests to change that.

CBN News