By Ed Diokno
Whoa! We have a Capra-esque moment developing this morning.
Georgia Rep. Rep. John Lewis, the heart, the soul of congressional Democrats, is leading his colleagues in a sit-in for a vote on gun safety legislation. You won’t see it televised, because the Republicans controlling the House also control the cameras. C-SPAN, however, is replaying the speeches of Democrats leading up to the action.
Several Asian American congressional representatives have joined the sit in.
Proudly SITTING-IN on the House Floor with @HouseDemocrats. #NoBillNoBreak
— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) June 22, 2016
Enough. Thank you @repjohnlewis for leading the #sitin. We demand action on gun violence! #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/mQOfvsdXXR
— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) June 22, 2016
Quick interruption to the feed but I’m back LIVE. Just like this sit-in, it won’t stop until we get a vote. https://t.co/zMYK2v1Pmj
— Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) June 22, 2016
Just spoke during House floor #sitin demanding action on #gunviolence. #NoBillNoBreak #NoMoreSilence pic.twitter.com/DKIfgkvHpe
— Tammy Duckworth (@RepDuckworth) June 22, 2016
You can’t watch our sit-in b/c @HouseGOP put us into recess. But I assure you we will stay until there is a vote on guns! #NoBillNoBreak
— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 22, 2016
We won’t stand for silence, so we’re sitting for action. It’s time we do the right thing and finally vote for #NoFlyNoBuy. #NoBillNoBreak
— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 22, 2016
“We have seen massacre after massacre,” said Chu on MSNBC. “I’ll never forget when there was the shooting of 14 in the district next to mine in San Bernardino, and then I continued to see massacres. When 49 people were murdered in Orlando and nothing done about it, and the only response were moments of silence, well, so many of us said, enough is enough. We have to do something about this.”
The lawmakers were acting in response to the June 12 mass shooting at a Florida nightclub that killed 49 people, and to votes on Monday that failed to advance four gun control amendments.
In the speech, 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. There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise. When you have to move your feet. And this is the time. Now is the time to get in the way. The time to act is now. We will be silent no more. The time for silence is over.”
“We hope that Republicans would do the right thing,” said Chu. “We actually know that the American people are vastly in support of this, even members of the NRA are in support of these kinds of expanded checks, If it would keep the people safe. that’s all that we’re asking for, common sense steps forward that would keep people safe and free from gun violence.”
It looks and feels like an inspirational scene from motion picture director Frank Capra’s classic Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, when Lewis got up to the podium and launched his passionate appeal:
Mr. Lewis: Mr. Speaker, I will ask that all of my colleagues join me on the floor. On occasion, Mr. Speaker, I have had what I call an executive session with myself. For months, even for years, I wondered what would bring this body to take action? What will finally make congress do what is right? What is just what the people of this country have been demanding, and what is long overdue? We have lost hundreds and thousands of innocent people to gun violence, to tiny little children, babies, students and teachers, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, friends and neighbors . And what has this body done?Mr. Speaker, nothing. Not one thing. We have turned deaf ears. We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the concern of our nation. We are blind to a crisis. Mr. Speaker, where is the heart of this body? Where is our soul? Where is our moral leadership? Where is our courage? Those who work on bipartisan solutions are pushed aside. Those who pursue commonsense improvement are beaten down. Reason is criticized. Obstruction is praised. Newtown, Aurora, Charleston, Orlando. What is the tipping point? Are we blind? Can we see? How many more mothers, how many more fathers need to shed tears of grief before we do something ? We were elected to lead, Mr. Speaker. We must be headlights and not taillights. We cannot continue to stick our heads in the sand. Deadly mass shootings are becoming more and more frequent . Mr. Speaker, this is the fight. It is not an opinion. We must remove the blinders. The time for silence and patience is long gone. We’re calling on the leadership of the house to bring commonsense gun control legislation to the house floor.
Give us a vote. Let us vote. We came here to do our job. We came here to work. The American people are demanding action. Do we have the courage? Do we have raw courage to make at least a down payment on ending gun violence in America? We can no longer wait. We can no longer be patient, so today we come to the well of the house to drum the need for action. Not next month. Not next year. But now. Today. 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. There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise. When you have to move your feet . This is the time. Now is the time to get in the way. The time to act is now. We will be silent no more. The time for silence is over. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
looks like the House members are in for the long haul. Sen. Mazie Hirono and her staff came by with much needed sustenance.
TY so much Sen. @maziehirono & staff for the support & snacks! We’re not going anywhere. #NoBillNoBreak #DisarmHate pic.twitter.com/0XPtPwj30c
— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 22, 2016
While waiting for the Republicans to return, in the late afternoon and early evening, several Democratic senators joined the sit-in support. Among them were: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Chris Coons (Del.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Al Franken (Minn.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii). Presidential candidate and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined late in the afternoon.
The Republicans gaveled the meeting to order at 10:05 p.m. to vote on unrelated matters. C-SPAN began broadcasting again showing the Democrats still sitting in front of the podium. During the voting, the Democrats chanted, “No Bill, No Break,” and “No Fly, No Buy.”
Around 10:30 p.m. EST, the Democrats began singing “We Shall Overcome.”
As of this Final Update today, the drama in the House chambers continues into the night.
Staff are starting to delivery blankets and pillows to the House floor. Looks like it’s going to be a long night. #NoBillNoBreak #enough
— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 22, 2016
RE: Asian American Congress members sit-in for Gun Control Action: Ok, stop reliving your youth of defiance and grow up!
RE: Asian American Congress members sit-in for Gun Control action: I feel like all we have in our government these days is more and more drama. Drama to the left, drama to the right, drama drama drama.