Over 200 Democrats Have Shut Down US Congress, Demanding Action Over Gun Control

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It’s about bloody time.

In the aftermath of last week’s homophobic massacre in Orlando that killed 49 people, more than 200 Democrats, led by Georgia Representative John Lewis are demanding a vote on measures to expand background checks and block gun purchases by some suspected terrorists and holding a sit-in until something changes.

Democrats have shut down the US House of Representative’s legislative work as we type, staging a sit-in and refusing to leave until they secured a vote on gun control measures.

Chanting “No bill, no break,” Republicans were forced to recess and cameras were cut off that showed the protest.

However, C-SPAN, which carries live feeds of Congress, used live video feeds from one lawmaker’s Periscope account and another’s Facebook page to transmit video from the house chamber.

This follows Democrats in the Senate last week taking control of that chamber for nearly 15 straight hours demanding more thorough gun control legislation.

Democrats are accusing Republicans of political cowardice by failing to act. As Representative Mike Thompson asks:

“Are they more afraid than the children at Sandy Hook?” referring to the 2012 shooting. “What is so scary about having a vote?”