Congresswoman Calls on House Republicans to Act on Gun Violence

Congresswoman Calls on House Republicans to Act on Gun Violence

Beatty helps organize massive sit-in on House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), led by Congressman John Lewis (GA-05) and Congressman John Larson (CT-01), helped coordinate a takeover of the House Floor demanding that House Republicans join with House Democrats to take meaningful action on gun violence, including preventing individuals on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) “No-fly List” from purchasing a firearm and expanding background checks. 

During the sit-in, Beatty read the names of men, women and children on the House Floor who have lost their lives to gun violence in Franklin County, Ohio in 2016. She called on Republican Leadership to finally heed the calls for action from the overwhelming majority of Americans.

“What we are doing here on the House Floor is historic,” Beatty said. “We are demanding House Republicans listen to what the vast majority of their constituents and Americans across the country are clamoring for—meaningful action to curb our country’s gun violence epidemic. This truly is a state of emergency. How many more families need to be torn apart in Ohio and the nation for Republicans to finally listen?”

Beatty continued, “As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.’ Well, it is time we heed those words.”

Democratic Members intend to remain on the House Floor until an agreement is reached with House Republicans to begin to address the gun violence epidemic sweeping across this nation. #NoBillNoBreak

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This press release was updated on June 24, 2016.