Thursday, June 23, 2016

12 hilarious, heartbreaking, and fist-pumping moments from the House sit-in.

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At 11:25 a.m. on June 22, a historic sit-in protest began on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The protest group, led by civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis, is demanding action on gun control before the House adjourns for a weeklong break.

So far, the "No Bill No Break" protest has been filled with some incredible moments. 

Here are some you may have missed:

1. Representatives took to the floor to share raw, emotional, personal stories of their own encounters with gun violence.

2. People started delivering protest fuel — delicious protest fuel — to the representatives in a show of support.

3. Representatives' family members told them to get involved.

4. After House Speaker Paul Ryan shut off the cameras, Periscope became the new C-SPAN.

5. Oh, and when the House did come back in session at 2:00 a.m., they voted on something completely unrelated.

6. People gathered outside the Capitol to make their voices heard too.

7. The protesters — our elected officials — refused to give up. They pulled an all-nighter.

8. Which led to some pretty incredible CNN chyrons.

9. Throughout the night, representatives held up the names of people killed by gun violence and shared their stories.

10. Senator Elizabeth Warren spent her birthday joining the sit-in.

She also made sure to bring doughnuts for her colleagues.

11. Rep. Tammy Duckworth ... well, she's just a stone cold badass.

11. Throughout the protest, celebrities and public figures have tweeted and shared their voices in support of common-sense gun control legislation.

12. Chief among them: the president of the United States.

This is truly an incredible moment in American politics.

Lawmakers, citizens, and public figures have come together to call for immediate action on gun safety. 

Gun violence in America has been called a "public health crisis," and in 2016 alone, thousands of people have been killed by guns. In fact, since the sit-in started, 16 people in Chicago were wounded by guns.

When America faces problems of that scale, we look to our elected leaders to do something about it. 

While the "No Fly, No Buy" legislation this group is pushing isn't perfect, won't solve everything, and has it's many critics, it's a small step toward a safer America. Plus, for gun control — an issue facing an impossibly steep uphill battle — getting anything done would be a positive step. 

It's pretty strange to think that lawmakers have had to resort to protest tactics to get things moving, that the powerful have had to rely on the means of the powerless, but it's pretty inspiring to see. 

If I were a United States Representative, I know where I'd want to be right now.

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