House Democrats face punishment for gun control sit-in

WASHINGTON—In the aftermath of last month’s lawmaker sit-in over gun control, Republican leaders are accusing Democrats of using the event to fundraise and rally campaign supporters—a violation of House rules. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., warned on Thursday they could soon face punishment.

“If this is not a political stunt, then why are they raising money over this,” he said during a press conference shortly after the sit-in, fanning fundraising flyers in his hands. “Why are they trying to make money off of this, off a tragedy?”

On June 23, Democrats sat cross-legged on the House floor, giving speeches on gun violence and chanting “no bill no break” for 25 hours, hoping GOP leaders would allow a vote on gun control legislation before the July 4 recess. They held the protest in response to the shooting at an Orlando gay bar that left 49 people dead.

After Republicans pieced together what Ryan called an “exhaustive review” of the taped sit-in, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reiterated accusations of Democrats fundraising and campaigning via social media, damaging furniture, and wrestling papers out of staffers’ hands during the protest.

A week later, ethics watchdog group The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint against Democrats for violating House rules by using the facilities and a specific piece of legislation to bolster campaign support and raise money.

During the 25-hour protest, Reps. Ben Luján, D-N.M., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., included photos and statements from the sit-in on their fundraising emails, while Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., posted selfies during the event with a link to his campaign website.

Yesterday, Ryan said Republicans are still assessing all possible options to discipline sit-in participants, including rebuke, censorship, and reprimands. He said the Democratic minority could have garnered support for the bill through a petition, instead of resorting to prohibited means.

Democrats said breaking House rules was the only alternative left for them to snag a vote on gun control and respond to recent shootings. Unlike in the Senate, House members cannot stage a filibuster.

“I don’t think any of us like to violate the rules of decorum but there are worse violations going on in America right now,” said Rep. Steve Israel , D-N.Y.

When asked about some representatives’ use of the event to raise campaign donations, some Democrats said solicitation was necessary to rival GOP funding from the National Rifle Association. Others said they were more concerned with representing constituents than gaining voters and brushed colleagues’ fundraising activities under the rug.

“Shame on you,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., responded after I asked how Democrats felt about fundraising activity during the sit-in. “I just talked about relatives of young people who were massacred at Virginia Tech in my community and you want me instead to answer a question about some member in Congress who may or may not have fundraised off of it?”

Other participants have denied claims of damaging furniture or disrespecting staffers.

Democrats are still pushing two bills that would increase required background checks for gun purchases and bar suspected terrorists—especially those on the no-fly list—from buying guns. Protests over the legislation continue.

During the holiday recess, six representatives met on the floor to shout down the available speaker before he gaveled out the session a minute later. Thursday morning, they staged a procession on the floor, reading the names of gun violence victims as other representatives held up their photographs. A torrent of tweets and videos about the event hit the web soon after.

“We will not go quietly into the night,” Israel vowed last week.