Several dozen members of Gays Against Guns traveled from New York to the nation’s capital on December 2 to draw dramatic attention to the US Senate’s refusal to act on two gun control measures passed by the Democratic-controlled House.
H.R. 8 and H.R. 112 are background check measures that the group said are supported by 90 percent of Americans, yet Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked Senate votes on the House bills.
“Many of 2019’s gun deaths are on his hands,” GAG said in a press release.
On the evening of December 2, working in conjunction with activist and projection artist Robin Bell, the group projected the daily catalogue of deaths from gun violence in the US since January 1 onto the side of the Newseum, currently housed on Pennsylvania Avenue. The projections were superimposed against the words of the First Amendment that establish citizens’ right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The following morning GAG’s Human Beings, who represent individual gun violence victims, protested outside of McConnell’s house on C Street and also inside the Senate Office Building, where they were able to unfurl several banners before being removed from the building.
The group visited McConnell’s office, where members were told the majority leader was “unavailable.” Several Human Beings read a GAG statement about the House bills in the waiting area.
