Dayton Daily News - Democratic Members of Congress Launch Sit-in on Floor Over Gun Issues

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By Jessica Wehrman

For months, the chatter had been steady in Democratic caucus meetings: Congressman after congressman, commiserating over shooting deaths in their communities, their frustration over not being able to vote on bills restricting guns.

Finally, after a shooter in Orlando killed 49 at an Orlando nightclub, Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a civil rights icon who had been beaten nearly to death years earlier in a 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., invited about 15 Democrats, including Columbus-area Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Jefferson Twp., to his office.

It was time, he told them, to do something.

So on Wednesday, around 11 a.m., about 20 lawmakers, including Beatty, stood on the House floor, huddled off to left of the chair.

"We have turned a deaf ear to the blood of the innocent and the concern of our nation," Lewis said. "Where is the heart of this body? Where is our soul? Where is our moral leadership? Where is our courage?"

And then, he urged his colleagues to sit. Filling up the well of the House, they all complied.

The House chaplain gave a prayer. The group stayed put. They didn't move when the Pledge of Allegiance was read, though they repeated it, loudly.

The crowd grew. The House Press Gallery -- formerly empty -- slowly filled up.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, tried to gavel the House into session at noon. He was shouted down.

"No bill, no break!" they chanted. He quickly put the House into recess again. House leadership ordered the chair vacated and the C-SPAN cameras turned off.

No one could see them at home. But they stayed.

The crowd on the floor surged to more than 40 Democrats. Reps. Marcia Fudge, D-Cleveland and Tim Ryan, D-Niles, joined the crowd. So did House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Then came the senators from other side of Capitol Hill, all Democrats. Among them: Chuck Schumer of New York, Al Franken of Minnesota, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Corey Booker of New Jersey. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California brought snacks.

Specifically, they said, they wanted to vote on some of the same issues that the Senate had voted on earlier in the week -- expanded background checks, a bill that would forbid those suspected of terrorism from buying guns. Many complained about the moments of silence held after each mass shooting, how helpless it felt.

Some sat in the chairs allotted for lawmakers. Others huddled on the ornate blue carpet, legs crossed.. Some snapped selfies. Others took photos, tweeting about what was going on on the floor. Most gave moving and impassioned speeches. An aide outside the chamber tried to give her boss advice on how to do Facebook Live from the floor of the House, apparently to no avail.

Beatty read off the names of 41 people who died in Franklin County in 2016 to gun violence. They included 15-year-old Aboubakary Diawara, Eddie Lovely, Kaleb White, who was also 15, Mohammed Barry and Deontae Fisher, who was 7.

Beatty, a Dayton native, represents Ohio's 3rd district in Congress and is the closest Democratic member of congress to the Dayton region.

"I am prepared to stay here until hell freezes over," vowed Rep. Maxine Waters of California.

"We're not here to take guns away from sportsmen," said Ryan, before launching into a lengthy criticism of Republicans. "We're here to take guns away from terrorists. This is a policy decision. We are legislators. We are here to legislate."

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, Orlando's congressman, read off the list of the 49 killed in Orlando, rattling them off one by one, choking up at some points.

"The time I took to read those names is the time it took to kill them," he said.

"How many more mothers, how many more fathers need to shed tears before we do something?" asked Lewis. "We were elected to lead, Mr. Speaker. We must be headlights and not tail lights."

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