Western Washington Democrats join House sit-in to force gun safety vote
Western Washington Democrats on Wednesday joined an unprecedented sit-in protest to force the Republican majority to allow a vote on gun control legislation.
It comes in the wake of the Orlando massacre in which 49 people were killed at a nightclub.
“I think it is past time that we enacted a law that says, as an example, if you're on a domestic terror list and we don't allow you to get on an airplane we shouldn't allow you to get a gun,” said Rep. Denny Heck.
Congressman Heck joined the protest along with Reps. Adam Smith, Rick Larsen, Suzan DelBene, Derek Kilmer and Jim McDermott.
“You don't know exactly what you are doing today because you are saying to the American people: Business as usual isn't going to work,” McDermott said.
Viewers around the country had to watch fuzzy video because Republican leaders shut off the regular cameras when the protest started.
So CSPAN picked up the Facebook Live feeds that some of the representatives were broadcasting.
Members of Congress also posted pictures on their Twitter feeds.
“How messed up that our children are taking active shooter drills and we can't take a vote," said Kilmer.
In addition to keeping guns away from those on the No-Fly List, Democrats want to mandate universal background checks nationwide -- similar to those passed by voters here in Washington State.
Gov. Inslee posted a picture of himself at the House protest.
He lost his first re-election to Congress in the '90s because he voted for the assault weapons ban.
Today Rep. Larsen said, “This is something that's perhaps taking over the rest of the country, this feeling that it is time now for action. Enough is enough."
By: Essex Porter
Source: KIRO 7