Manhattan Reps Nadler, Maloney Sit In Against Gun Violence

UPDATE: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-New York) spoke a little after midnight as Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) brought a sleeping bag in to the House and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) brought Dunkin' Donuts for those still awake. "This House is drenched in blood," he said.

Both of Downtown Manhattan's Congressional representatives, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D), participated in the stirring, historic sit-in for gun control in Congress Wednesday.

They, along with around 40 other representatives, chanted, "No bill, no break!" and "No fly no buy!" on the House floor, hoping a dramatic sit-in would force a vote for gun control legislation.

The sit-in was livestreamed on C-Span's website using Periscope footage from Rep. Scott Peters, D-California.

The gesture is a response to the failure in the Senate of four amendments to gun control legislation. In the aftermath of one of the most horrific mass shootings in American history in which 49 people were killed at a gay club in Orlando, Senate Democrats staged a 15-hour filibuster for gun legislation reform. All four amendments proposed by the Senate Democrats failed, prompting House representatives to act on their own accord.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, representing upper Manhattan, also participated in the sit-in and filmed it with his own Periscope account.

Photo credit: Rep. Donna F. Edwards, D-Maryland