House sit-in makes international headlines: France 24 [View all]

[Surya Gayatri]

US Democrats stage House sit-in to force vote on gun control

Talks intensified in the US Senate on Wednesday on compromise legislation to stop gun sales to people on some terrorism watch lists, as Democrats shut down the House of Representatives to protest their chamber's lack of action.

Several dozen US House Democrats pushing for action on gun control protested on the floor of the House, chanting "no bill, no break!" and demanding that the chamber put off an upcoming recess until legislation is debated.

The protest was the latest move by Democrats to persuade the Republican majority in Congress to take up gun control in response to last week's mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest in modern US history.

The Democrats stood or sat at the front of the chamber, where such disruptive tactics are relatively rare. When the presiding House officer, Republican Representative Ted Poe, entered the chamber at about noon EDT (1600 GMT), he declared the House not in order. After banging the gavel several times in an attempt to clear the protesters, he announced the chamber would be in recess and left.

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http://www.france24.com/en/20160622-us-democrats-stage-house-sit-force-vote-gun-control