Democrats staged an extraordinary round-the-clock sit-in on the House floor on Wednesday to demand a vote on gun control bills, shouting down Speaker Paul Ryan when he attempted to restore order as their protest stretched into the night.
Angry Democrats shouted “No bill, no break”, refusing to leave till they secured a vote on gun control measures before lawmakers went on a week-long break.
What Happened Last Week?
Democrats are demanding votes on bills that would expand background checks for online gun purchases and at gun shows. These would also keep those on the FBI’s terrorist watch lists from buying firearms, US Uncut reported.
Last week, the Senate rejected two gun reform measures, proposed by Senator Chris Murphy of the Democrat party, that banned terror suspects from purchasing guns, and which would have expanded background checks for all gun purchases. The Republicans stated that these reforms were a breach of the Second Amendment.
Democrats, in turn, rejected two gun control measures from Republicans. One of them expanded funding for a national criminal background check program, but didn’t expand background checks to all firearm sales, while the other bill provided the federal government with a 3-day window to evaluate members of the terror watch list attempting to buy guns. They argued that the the Republican legislation didn’t do enough to expand background checks or effectively stop potential terrorists from arming themselves.
The Republicans Resist
The House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution, so the House has recessed subject to the call of the chair.Paul Ryan’s spokesperson in an email titled Democrat Publicity Stunt
Speaker Ryan said that the House leaders were waiting to see what the Senate does before proceeding on gun legislation.
Democrats: “If There Was a Vote, We Would Win!”
More than a dozen Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Harry Reid, Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy joined the protest.
We truly believe that if there were a vote that we would win the vote, because 85 to 90 percent of the American people ... support responsible background checks legislation.Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said House Democrats were “showing the kind of frustration and even anger that people around the country have” about congressional inaction on gun control.
Although the cameras were turned off, lawmakers relied on social media to transmit video, using Facebook, Twitter and Periscope. C-SPAN, a cable and satellite network that provides continual coverage of House and Senate floor proceedings and does not control the cameras, used Periscope and Facebook video supplied by lawmakers.
The house has been adjourned amid the strong Democratic protests.
(With inputs from AP).
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