Minnesota Democrats stage sit-in over gun violence bill vote |
Minnesota Democrats stage sit-in over gun violence bill vote
Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota are staging a sit-in inside the state House chambers following the party-line defeat of a motion Thursday to bring a gun reform measure to the floor.
The protest is expected to last until members return for business at noon Saturday at the call of Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
“Until we hold the vote, we will sit,” state Rep. Liish Kozlowski, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) from Duluth, said Thursday, urging colleagues to join.
“Together we can sit, sing, stand, do a healing dance, and we can vote,” Kozlowski added, according to the newspaper. “It’s OK to change your mind. Show us your courage, let us leave this gun violence behind.”
Democrats are demanding a vote on a Senate-approved bill that would implement several gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The legislation was introduced after a mass........