Hours after US Democrats ended a sit-in at Congress, supporters of gun control failed to win enough backing in the Senate for a plan to ban firearms sales to people being monitored for links to terrorism in the wake of the Orlando massacre.
Democrats spent more than 24 hours occupying Congress in a protest over gun control Photo: AFP / Representative Joe Kennedy III
US Democrats spent more than 24 hours occupying Congress in a protest over gun control, refusing to yield the floor, sharing stories of how gun violence had affected their voters and posting on social media.
Republicans, who control Congress, dismissed it as a "publicity stunt" more interested in making headlines. They adjourned the chamber early with no more votes until after the 4 July holiday.
A few hours after Democrats wound up the sit-in, Senate Republican leaders ended a protracted debate over gun control, at least for the time being. It became clear that Senate proponents of gun restrictions did not have the 60 votes needed to advance a bill, according to lawmakers and aides.
That ended hopes that a compromise effort spearheaded by Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, could progress soon.
Her plan forbids gun sales to anyone on the US government's "No Fly List" of terrorism suspects or the "Selectee List" of people who receive extra screening at airports.
Ms Collins' plan did clear one procedural hurdle in voting on Thursday by collecting a slim majority of the Senate - 52 votes - against an attempt to outright kill it.
Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, told reporters he did not expect any more votes on gun control in the Senate in the near future.
That decision marked a major victory for the National Rifle Association in its campaign to fend off new restrictions on gun purchases.
A makeshift memorial in Orlando for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Photo: AFP
It was earlier on Thursday, Democratic lawmakers ended a daylong sit-in occupation of the floor of the House to protest the lack of action on gun control after a gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State shot dead 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, this month.
Democratic members had taken control of the House chamber on Wednesday and dozens of them stayed all night, at times bursting into the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome.
Fueled by Chinese food and pizzas, the Democrats took turns occupying the chamber after raucous scenes that nearly erupted into a fistfight with the majority Republicans.
After the House television cameras were turned off, the Democrats switched to social media to stream their protest via Facebook Live and Periscope.
Dramatic protests by legislators are rare in the US Capitol and the sit-in underscored how sensitive the gun control issue has become after a gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State shot dead 49 people in Orlando.
- Reuters / BBC
