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Rep. Davis Reacts To Democratic Sit-in

Congressman Rodney Davis speaking on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives.
C-SPAN
Congressman Rodney Davis speaking on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives.
Congressman Rodney Davis speaking on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives.
Credit C-SPAN
Congressman Rodney Davis speaking on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives.

Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis said the Democratic protest in the US House was a "publicity stunt." The nearly 26-hour sit-in by House Democrats ended earlier today, but the group vows to come back after a congressional recess "more determined than ever before."

Davis said he expects that reaction.

"I would assume all of the publicity that the Democrats got for breaking the House rules and filming on the floor and doing this 'sit-in,' as they called it," he said. "I'm sure they're going to be more emboldened to do the same thing."

The protest was sparked by a lack of new gun legislation in the wake of the shooting in Orlando. Democrats are calling for universal background checks and a way to prevent people on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. Davis said the nation doesn't need new gun laws, because the FBI already has 72 hours to block someone who's on the watch list from buying a gun.

"I would like to see law enforcement enforce the existing laws, and I just don't think they're doing a good job of that," he said. "And that's exactly the case right now with what we saw in Orlando."

Copyright 2021 WGLT. To see more, visit WGLT.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
Longtime GLT listener Michael Hill is from the Peoria, IL area. He got his start in radio by creating a weekly technology podcast with two friends from high school. The show made its way to the airwaves from 2012-2015 on WAZU. He started working for GLT in 2014 as a news reporter, working for a time as an on-air announcer on the weekends. He finds politics fascinating and loves to hear all sides of an issue. He will graduate in May from Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. He also enjoys photography, amateur radio, cooking, repairing and building computers, and fixing electronics.