On June 22, Democrats from the House of Representatives led by Congressman John Lewis staged a sit-in on the chamber floor. The sit-in was an attempt to bring attention on gun issues and to bring about a vote on gun legislation.
This comes after the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12. Both the Republicans and the Democrats have come up with new gun legislation to try to combat gun violence after the horrific event.
Neither party was able to come together for one bill causing tensions to rise. This became apparent once the sit-in began.
House democrats chanted “No bill no break” and “Shame” at Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan (R) and sang “We Shall Overcome” while they sat inside of the chamber.
Lasting a little over 24 hours, the sit-in generated a lot of comments from both sides of the aisle. Some were in favor of what the house Democrats were doing while others condemned it, including our local district 10 United States Representative, Jeff Denham.
Congressman Denham gave a statement on the sit-in this morning, “The decorum of the House exists to conduct the business of the American people. This was nothing more than an election-year stunt.”
“They attempted to deny our constitutional responsibility for an orderly debate process, and ensure no work is accomplished to make America safer,” stated Rep. Jeff Denham.
Even though the sit-in has come to an end, House Democrats have vowed to continue working on getting a bill passed when Congress comes back into session on July 5.
