Democrats Stage Sit-In On House Floor Over Gun Control
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WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS) - Just days after four gun control measures failed to pass in the U.S. Senate, House Democrats are staging their own historic protest on the floor of the lower chamber over firearm safety legislation.
A group of roughly 60 legislators sat down cross-legged in the middle of the House floor Wednesday, pushing for gun control votes. Some remained standing on the floor.
The group included civil rights icon Rep, John Lewis, D-Georgia, Kentucky's Rep. John Yarmuth, and Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut.
"We can no longer wait," Lewis said. "We can no longer be patient. So today, we come to the well of the House to dramatize the need for action. Not next month, not next year, but now -- today. Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary. Sometimes you have to make a way out of no way."
"We have been too quiet for too long," he added. "There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time."
Members took turns speaker passionately at the podium, chanting "No bill, no break" after each speech.
Later, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina led a prayer on the floor, with Democrats holding hands.
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