Rep. John Lewis Stages Sit-In to Demand Gun Control Vote
Mother Jones
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Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) led a sit-in on the House floor on Wednesday to demand a vote on the “no fly, no gun” bill, a bipartisan measure that would ban the sale of guns to suspected terrorists on the government’s no-fly list. He was joined by at least a dozen fellow Democrats.
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)
The time is always right to do right. Our time is now. #goodtrouble #NOMORESILENCE pic.twitter.com/BYeDz9c8VF
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis)
Joining w/ @repjohnlewis &dozens of my colleagues for House sit-in for a vote to prevent gun violence #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/Lg4cM9Gzj0
— Elizabeth Esty (@RepEsty)
The protest comes in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in American history, which killed 49 people inside an Orlando nightclub on June 12. The massacre prompted a marathon 15-hour filibuster in the Senate to force a vote on gun control bills. On Monday, four gun control measures failed to advance, with nearly every Republican senator voting against them.
Republicans gaveled out of session, therefore blocking C-SPAN from airing the sit-in. Democrats took to social media instead to broadcast the event:
LIVE on #Periscope https://t.co/WRxWGI67xH
— Scott Peters (@ScottPetersSD)
Lewis was a leader in the 1960s civil rights movement and helped organize sit-in demonstrations to challenge segregation laws.
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