House Democrats, led by Rep. John Lewis, are protesting the House’s refusal to vote on gun-control measures.
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Democrats are staging a sit-in on the House floor to push for action on gun control legislation.
Dozens of Democrats were participating in the sit-in after it began Wednesday morning, with some lawmakers seated cross-legged on the floor.
Democrats have been pressing for action on gun control before the House leaves at the end of this week for a planned recess.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the veteran lawmaker who was brutally beaten by police in the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Ala., began the sit-in by giving a speech while surrounded by his colleagues.
“We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the deaths in our nation,” he said. “Mr, Speaker, where is the heart of this body. Where is our soul?
“How many more mothers, how many more fathers have to share tears of grief before we decide to do anything?”
Shortly after Lewis spoke, the Democratic lawmakers sat down in the well of the House.
The House was then gaveled into recess, and the chamber’s C-SPAN cameras were turned off.