*It was just like old times for Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on Wednesday, as the civil rights veteran led a sit-in on the House floor to demand that House Republicans move on gun control.
He and fellow Democrats copped a squat at the front of the chamber to challenge Republican Speaker Paul Ryan.
“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,” Lewis said. “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.”
Lewis said lawmakers would remain on the floor: “We don’t have any intention of leaving anytime soon.”
The sit-in follows the shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub earlier this month that killed 49 people — the deadliest incident of gun violence in American history.
The massacre reignited ongoing debate over gun control legislation, which seems poised to go nowhere in Congress. The Senate blocked four proposed gun measures on Monday despite national polls that reveal public support for changes such as tighter background checks and preventing people on the No Fly List from purchasing guns.
Ryan did not commit to holding a vote, according to CNN.
Lewis, however, was supported by President Obama. “Thank you John Lewis for leading on gun violence where we need it most,” POTUS tweeted.
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