The Democrats in Congress would not be moved. Led by civil rights icon and Georgia Rep. John Lewis, they staged a more than 24-hour sit-in over gun control starting Wednesday morning, saying they would not stop talking about the toll of gun violence until Republicans put measures to expand background checks and ban gun sales to people on the no-fly list to a vote.
The dramatic gesture ended shortly after 1 p.m. on Thursday (June 23), but not before it inspired a number of hashtags, including #NoBillNoBreak, #HoldTheFloor and the most creative: #Ham4Sitin. The latter found Twitter users pulling lines from songs in the Tony-winning musical Hamilton (“The World Was Wide Enough,” “Non-Stop,” “My Shot” and others) to lend support to the Democrats’ effort.
Here are some of the tweets:
.@HouseGOP For once in your life take a stand with pride. I don’t understnad how you stand to the side.” #Ham4SitIn #NoBillNoBreak
— Kody Keplinger (@Kody_Keplinger) June 22, 2016
Welcome to the present, we’re running a real nation #Ham4SitIn #NoBillNoBreak @Lin_Manuel https://t.co/TCdD0bXUQM
— Maggie Buck (@magggieveronica) June 23, 2016
“Are we a nation of states? What’s the state of our nation?” Can’t get it out of my head. America, you great unfinished symphony. #Ham4SitIn
— Kelly Fitzgerald (@closer2fine) June 23, 2016
They imagine death so much it feels like a memory #Ham4SitIn #NoBillNoBreak #enough #holdthefloor https://t.co/qU3yloxK9C
— Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing) June 23, 2016
Best one. Best one. #ham4sitin https://t.co/pzMbiXKGBD
— Melissa Anelli (@melissaanelli) June 23, 2016
And revolution is messy but now is the time to stand #Ham4SitIn #NoBillNoBreak
— kylie sparks (@kyliesparks) June 23, 2016
Watching C-SPAN tonight like…#Ham4SitIn #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/237BCqscNc
— Avery Woodard (@avery_woodard) June 23, 2016
“John Lewis, I need no introduction,
When you knock me down, I get the f*** back up again!”#Ham4SitIn— Mike Halcomb (@mikehalc) June 23, 2016
“It’s hard to listen to you with a straight face”#Ham4sitin #nobillnobreak pic.twitter.com/nnbPk5sHuW
— mike avila (@mikeavila) June 23, 2016
“Raise a glass to freedom. Something they can never take away” #Ham4SitIn#nobillnobreak
— mike avila (@mikeavila) June 23, 2016