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“I applaud the Connecticut delegation and their Democratic colleagues for taking action to demand that common-sense gun safety measures receive a vote in the House,” Martin said.
“For too long, the U.S. House and Senate have stood by and done nothing to help prevent further deaths and injuries inflicted by guns. Enough. Something has to be done to get movement and traction on common-sense legislation, and I hope this sit-in will help begin the process,” Martin said.
In Stamford, two people were hit in a drive-by shooting aimed at their car early Saturday.
Gun control has been a top issue for Connecticut lawmakers after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 first-graders and six educators died. The issue has come to a head this week in Washington, D.C., in the wake of the mass shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed in the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
All five representatives from Connecticut were taking part in the sit-in Wednesday, with Rep. John Larson (D-1st District) acting among the group's leaders.
U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-5th District) took part in the sit-in, saying the people are demanding a vote.
“Since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, more than 100,000 Americans have been lost to gun violence. And in that time the House has done nothing," Esty said. "We cannot continue to watch in silence as Americans lose their lives to senseless violence – not when we have the power to act. We demand a vote.”
The members of the sit-in were demanding that the House stay in session to debate and vote on gun safety measures to expand background checks for gun buyers and to prevent gun sales to suspected terrorists.
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