Last month, House Democrats publicly shamed their Republican colleagues on the floor when leadership (at the last minute) whipped up enough votes and shot down a provision that would have protected LGBT citizens from discrimination.
Yesterday, House Democrats did the same thing – this time to House Speaker Paul Ryan, and this time over gun legislation. Responding to the Republican’s crocodile tears over the Orlando shooting, Democrats shouted,”where’s the bill,” over and over again after observing a moment of silence for those killed on Sunday.
Wearing rainbow ribbons on their lapels, Democrats resisted Speaker Ryan’s gavel being ferociously banged.
In the House, South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat from the state, called on the cowards in the Republican caucus to adopt three no-brainer measures aimed at improving America’s epidemic of gun violence: closing the Charleston Loophole; banning those on a terrorist watch list from obtaining a gun; and banning those convicted of a hate crime from obtaining a gun.
Three simple solutions which, had they been enacted when first proposed, could have saved over a hundred lives.
But instead of passing meaningful legislation that could literally save lives, the GOP decided a moment of silence was the only thing on the agenda. Yesterday’s moment of silence was the 11th in the last year and a half and won’t be the last.
Clyburn blasted the moment of silence, saying “We just think having moments of silence every time something like this happens rather than fashioning some response to what maybe the causes of it is a problem.”
Thankfully, Democrats mustered up the backbone to call them out, but instead of facing the music, Paul Ryan walked out, dodging reporters and angry Democrats.
Calling the Republicans “tone deaf,” Rep. William Clay of Missouri lambasted the GOP for turning their backs on American’s safety, pointing out that “The American people are crying out for commonsense solutions and common-sense gun legislation.”
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