House Democrats ended their sit-in on the chamber floor demanding a vote on gun control measures early Thursday afternoon.
The House is not in session but members remained on the floor for more than 24 hours to protest the Republican majority’s refusal to bring any bills to the floor. Democrats had originally vowed to continue the sit-in until a vote was held, but have now said they’ll resume the fight when Congress is back in session July 5.
“We are going to win the fight. The fight is not over. This is just one step,” said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a civil rights veteran who led the sit-in. “When we come back here on July the fifth we are going to continue to push, to pull, to stand up, and if necessary, to sit down.”
Lewis and House Democrats who participated in the sit-in, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held a rally outside the Capitol after they ended their protest. After comments from Pelosi and Lewis, the House members began singing “We Shall Overcome.”
The House protest, which was broadcast by Democrats using social media because C-SPAN cameras inside the chamber had been shut off, came days after votes on four separate gun control bills failed in the Senate. Those bills were brought to the floor in response to a nearly 15-hour filibuster to demand action on gun control following last week’s mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead.
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