Democrats End 25-Hour Sit-In Protest To Demand House Gun Votes
WASHINGTON (CBSnewYork/AP) -- House Democrats have ended their more than 25-hour sit-in on the chamber's floor that they've been staging to demand votes on gun control.
With just a few interruptions, Democrats commanded the House floor since late Wednesday morning and the protest was broadcast live to the world over social media.
Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who led the protest, said he believes the sit-in resonated with people.
"We're going to leave here, we're going out onto the steps to meet with people on our side," he said Thursday afternoon. "The American people are with us and people around the world are with us and we are with them."
Lewis said, "We are going to win this struggle.''
But there are no indications that Republicans, who control the House, have met the Democrats' demands to vote on bills to strengthen background checks and prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns in the wake of the Orlando massacre.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House won't vote on gun control legislation. He called the Democrats' action a publicity stunt and said Congress won't do anything that could undermine the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms.
"We will not bring a bill that takes away a person's constitutional guaranteed rights without due process," Ryan said. "We don't agree with that. The Senate already doesn't agree with that."
The sit-in started around 11:30 am. Wednesday. Yelling "no bill, no break" and singing "We Shall Overcome," Democrats vowed to stay in the House chamber until Republicans yielded to their demands.
They later turned to social media when Republicans shut off the chamber's TV feed, which they argue are the House rules when the chamber is in recess.
Lawmakers brought pillows and blankets to the floor as the protest stretched toward midnight.
Rep. Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut had a sleeping bag, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts brought Dunkin' Donuts for her House colleagues who were staying awake.
Other lawmakers also brought snacks, including some who broke House rules to eat on the House floor.
The protest also got tense at times.
At one point, Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas approached the Democrats and yelled, "Radical Islam!'' Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida started yelling back at him. The two came within inches of each other, both yelling.
Lawmakers from both parties separated the two.
The House adjourned around 3:15 a.m. Thursday after Republicans pushed through a bill to fight the Zika outbreak.
But the protest continued as more than a dozen Democrats remained on the floor, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Outside, a crowd of several hundred gun control advocates gathered as the sit-in was going on and cheered when Democratic lawmakers addressed them, CBS News reported.
Last week, Senate Democrats led a filibuster to force a vote on gun control legislation, but the bills did not pass in a vote on Monday night.
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