When The Democrats Seized The Day
Editor's Note: On a day when the House Speaker said Republicans won’t ‘tolerate’ another sit-in by Democrats, we thought it important to document, again, what that sit-in is about.
In the three and one-half years I've been here, we have not been allowed ONE VOTE, NOT ONE VOTE on matters of gun safety. This was why we had to protest."-
- Rep. John Larson, Sit-in ringleader whose Connecticut district is near Sandy Hook.
On June 23, around 11:25 AM, Democrats in the House of Representatives, fed up over the lack of action on simple, common-sense gun control measures after years of failed attempts, and led by Civil Rights icon John Lewis, announced a sit-in on the floor of the House chamber, and then, one by one, sat themselves down on the hard floor in front of the speaker's podium. (Watch it here.)
As Vera Bergengruen wrote for McClatchy DC: