Rep. John Lewis Stages Sit-In to Demand Gun Control Vote

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) led a sit-in on the House floor on Wednesday to demand a vote on the “no fly, no gun” bill, a bipartisan measure that would ban the sale of guns to suspected terrorists on the government’s no-fly list. He was joined by dozens of fellow Democrats, including senators who joined the demonstration to offer their support and force a vote.

Republicans gaveled out of session, effectively blocking C-SPAN from airing the sit-in. Democrats took to social media instead to broadcast the event:

As the sit-in continued, President Barack Obama thanked Lewis for taking a stand:

The protest comes in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in American history, which killed 49 people inside an Orlando nightclub on June 12. The massacre prompted a marathon 15-hour filibuster in the Senate to force a vote on gun control bills. On Monday, four gun control measures failed to advance, with nearly every Republican senator voting against them.

Mother Jones reporter Hannah Levintova is on the scene. Head to her Twitter account for live updates: