Democrats Hope to Change Gun Laws With the Power of Sitting

Today in the House of Representatives, Democratic congressmen and women staged a protest against the GOP’s stalwart refusal to pass any law to curb the horrific effects of gun violence in America. Like any political movement in this day and age, their efforts have been boiled down into a hashtag — #nobillnobreak — that you can follow along with here.

“No bill, no break,” is a reference to Congressional Republicans refusing to hold a vote on any of the gun control measures that have been proposed since the tragic shootings in Orlando. Congress is scheduled to go on recess after today, and the Democrats are protesting the fact that they’ve gotten through this particular session without a single gun-related vote.

Their efforts have inspired a massive Twitter storm, with people tweeting about the issue from both sides using the same hashtag. As of this writing, there are nearly 400,000 tweets including #nobillnobreak worldwide. (That doesn’t even include the less popular hashtag, #holdthefloor, that is also being used.) Here are a few of the representatives who have tweeted their thoughts:

Of course, this is all political theater, and nothing will happen. This and last week’s Democratic filibuster on the Senate floor are just ways for the Democrats to say in November that they’re the party of sensible gun control measures, and for the Republicans to say that they didn’t bend to Democratic pressure and stood up for the Second Amendment. In other words: this is a whole lotta depressing emptiness, like the rest of life.

What do you think? Will #NoBillNoBreak actually accomplish something? Let us know in the comments below or @WhatsTrending on Twitter!