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Pelosi Remarks at Rally Outside Capitol in Support of House Democrats’ ‘No Bill, No Break’ Sit-In

June 23, 2016

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks late this evening outside the Capitol building where crowds gathered to show their support for House Democrats as they continue to demand a vote on commonsense gun legislation before recess. Below are the Leader’s remarks:

“Thank you, [Congressman Joe Crowley]. As some of my Members have already said this evening, this is a day and night of great pride for all of us – pride in all of you – in the time that you have taken, in the stories you have shared, in the hope that you have given us by coming out, by reaching out, by making this debate on the floor – which without you and without the technology of Periscope would just be a debate in the Halls of Congress unrecorded because they turned off the microphones. But we raised our voices. They turned off the cameras and we went to Periscope.

[Cheers]

“They shut down the debate. They tried to shut down the Congress but because of you, the debate on the Floor of the Congress is a debate heard around the world.

[Cheers]

“And the response because of your tweets and your communication just amplified our voices and we try to amplify yours because we have the chance to speak on the Floor. But no good thing happens in the Congress with just inside maneuvering. The outside mobilization is essential to success for anything great to happen. And that outside mobilization combined with the social media combined with the fuller array of people – people in their homes who aren’t activists or who never showed up at a rally but wonder what they can do to make Congress act on something that is self-evident; that people who are on the ‘no fly’ list should not be able to buy a gun. No fly, no buy.

“It’s self-evident that we should have sensible background checks so that people who should not have guns cannot buy guns, supported by 85 to 90 percent depending on which bill of the American people – Democrats, Republicans, Independents, National Rifle Association members, gun owners, veterans support what we are doing here and even some of the Members, as you said, who are gun owners and hunters from childhood support that.

“I’m looking at the Capitol which is getting fixed, because I remember my grandson when the scaffolds were all the way up. We drove by and he said, ‘Mimi,’ that’s my grandmother name, ‘It looks like the Capitol is sick.’ Hopefully the Capitol is getting well and is getting well because of all of you. I said on the Floor earlier and I’ll say to all of you something I truly believe when people say, ‘Where can I find hope?’ I say, ‘Hope is where it has always been: sitting right there between faith and love.’ We believe that something better can happen because of the love that we have for each other as human beings and the charity we want to extend. You’re doing that by your presence here tonight. And faith in the love of all of you gives people hope. You give us hope. You give us hope by turning out.

“So, I don’t know what will happen tonight. We hear different rumors. We hear that they are going to bring a bill to the floor, vote on the rule, adjourn, declare the next day 15 minutes later, go in again, adjourn and then leave town. That would be an act of cowardice. That would be an act of cowardice.

[Applause]

“I hope they rethink that because no matter what they do, we will be here. And we will be here with you. We’ll see you tomorrow.

[Applause]

“But really, the most amazing thing that is sweeping the world: No bill, no break! And one of the people who is working so hard to disarm hate, a leader in her community, a leader in the Congress, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty from Ohio.”

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