U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said Thursday she is “running on adrenaline” following her participation in an overnight sit-in at the House of Representatives in Washington.
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Democrats have been consistently thwarted in attempts to pass gun control laws since Republicans took control of the House in 2010. This one was driven by the Orlando shooting this month that killed 49 in a gay nightclub, and other shootings.
“They are trying to use the blood of victims to further their political agenda and I think that’s horrid”, says Park. House Democrats were speaking out for the 90% of Americans who support expanding background checks, but in the Republican mind, advocating for what the American people support is a crime. House Democrats were looking for votes to expand background checks and ban gun sales to those on the no-fly watch list.
They were there till late on Thursday morning, despite the House being adjourned till July 5 for a long-scheduled recess.
Veteran Democrats said they felt empowered by the demonstration, and it could become a new routine.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Rep. John Lewis, who shed blood in Selma for civil rights, sat shoulder to shoulder with fellow Democrats on the House floor as the leader of an extraordinary protest demanding votes on gun control. But as they congratulated themselves, they also had some praise and “thank yous” for reporters giving free advertising for their anti-gun stunt.
Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton also chimed in after C-SPAN, which broadcasts congressional sessions, was forced to turn off its cameras after Republicans forced a recess.
The many efforts at gun control have failed despite anger at mass shootings like the killings at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 and in San Bernardino, California, last year.
“I’ve been on the House floor for over 24 [hours] fighting for action on gun safety”, Schakowsky wrote on twitter Thursday.
And gun legislation still appears to be one issue doomed to partisan gridlock inside Congress – gun control supporters would have to hold 60 seats in the Senate and flip more than 30 seats in the House in November to have any hope of passing legislation.
“So proud of everyone who stood up by sitting down”.
“My colleagues and I have had enough”, Lewis said, starting the protest on Wednesday morning.
Facebook live-streaming videos from House Democrats’ sit-in on the floor were watched more than 3 million times, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.
“Those are not easy issues, but we must deal with them”, she said, adding she considers gun control the easiest issue to address immediately. The C-SPAN network then fed the scenes from members’ phones.
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Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pennsylvania, dismissed the sit-in as “a calculated, staged political stunt”.
