By SS
Seeds: After the tragedy in Orlando last week, the Democratic members (and some Republican members as well) of Congress have been pushing forcefully for gun control measures, with no avail. Members of the Democratic party filibustered a week ago (they stood and spoke about the issue for hours, with no breaks, in order to hold the floor, thus showing their dedication to the issue, which often encourages action), without much success. Bills that did not pass included measures that would keep suspected terrorists from purchasing guns or bills that would expand background checks.
Core: Today several members of Congress are trying a different kind of protest to encourage gun control policies: a sit-in. This tactic was used often in the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. The Democratic members at the sit-in stated that they would stay “until we have a bill.”
Skin: Republican House speaker Paul Ryan called the protest a “publicity stunt,” and other Republican representatives, such as Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, mentioned that this sit-in is disrespectful to those of the 60s, "Calling this a sit-in is a disgrace to Woolworth's, they sat-in for rights. Dems are 'sitting-in' to strip them away." On the other side, Democratic Congressman John Lewis said, “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.” President Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have both vocalized their support.
Leaves: The Democratic Congressional Committee has also launched a petition that is demanding support for gun control measures. Although previous measures Congress has taken to enact significant change have fallen flat, Democratic representatives remain hopeful that this sit-in will be successful.
*Title is a quote from John Lewis during the sit-in
Food For Thought: Do you think this tactic will work? Do you believe in gun control?
Still Hungry? Politico, CNN (1), The Atlantic, BBC, CNN (2), CBS News, DCC petition
Think we missed something? Tell us in the comments.
