Democrats End Gun-Control Sit-In After 25 Hours

They've declared victory despite no vote
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2016 1:25 PM CDT
Democrats End Gun-Control Sit-In After 25 Hours
Rep. John Lewis speaks on Capitol Hill on Thursday after House Democrats ended their sit-in protest.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Democrats ended their gun-control sit-in at the House of Representatives on Thursday after more than 25 hours on the floor, the AP reports. According to Reuters, Democratic lawmakers, who had stayed overnight while chanting and singing, were trying to force a vote on legislation to expand background checks and stop people on terror watch lists from buying guns. They left hours after Republicans shut the House down for the Fourth of July holiday (a move that resulted in chants of "shame"). By the time the sit-in ended, not as many Democrats remained on the House floor as had started the protest, and the energy from Wednesday was missing, Politico reports.

Democrats rallied with supporters outside the House after ending the sit-in and declared victory despite failing to get Republicans to hold a vote on gun-control legislation. "Just because they cut and run in the dark of night, just because they have left doesn't mean we are taking no for an answer," the AP quotes Rep. Nancy Pelosi as saying. Rep. Steny Hoyer says the Democratic lawmakers will use the holiday to increase support for gun-control legislation in their districts. "We are going to win this struggle," the AP quotes Rep. John Lewis as saying. Meanwhile, the Senate will vote Thursday on two competing pieces of gun-control legislation introduced by Republicans, Politico reports. Both focus on stopping people on terror watch lists from buying guns, and both votes are motions to table the opposing legislation. (More sit-in stories.)

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