US Congressmen hold sit-in protest, demanding tighter gun control

In an unprecedented move, on June 22, dozens of US Democratic Congressmen staged a sit-in at the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, demanding that the Republican-controlled Congress address the increasingly serious gun violence in the country, with the latest evidence being the massacre in Orlando, Florida, last weekend that left 49 people dead and 53 others injured.

US Democratic congressmen hold sit-in to demand tighter gun control. (Source: CNN)

The protest, initiated by Democratic Congressman John Lewis, took place right after the US House of Representatives ended its meeting, in which the chair, Republican Congressman Ted Poe, announced that the House would begin a recess that will last until July 5.

With the slogan "No bill, no break!", House Democrats asked the House to continue working until Republican leaders vote on a gun control bill, including background checks for gun buyers and restrictions on gun sales to people on government watch lists.

After five hours of protest, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, insisted they would not leave until Congress agreed to a vote on gun control legislation.

The protest by Democratic House members quickly attracted the attention and participation of Democratic Senators on the other side of Capitol Hill, bringing the total number of lawmakers participating in the protest to more than 100. Meanwhile, outside the Capitol Hill campus, nearly 50 people from the non-profit organization "Everytown for Gun Safety," which advocates against gun violence, also organized a march to show support for Democratic congressmen.

Pressure has increased on the US Congress after the Senate on June 20 rejected four gun control measures, including two proposed by Democrats and two proposed by Republicans.

Republicans and allies in the National Rifle Association (NRA) say the Democratic gun control bills are overly restrictive and trample on the right to bear arms. Democrats, meanwhile, have criticized the Republican plan as "too weak."

Gun ownership is a divisive issue in American politics. Congress has not passed any significant gun control legislation since 1994.

President Barack Obama has expressed frustration with the country's lawmakers' inadequate efforts to control guns, leaving legal loopholes that a terrorist could exploit to obtain weapons.

According to statistics, an average of 89 people die every day and 32,514 people die every year due to gun violence in the US. In 1990, about 19% of Americans opposed stricter gun control. Currently, about 55% of Americans support gun control laws./.

According to Vietnam+