U.S. House Democrats planning "day of action" next week to keep pushing for gun control

After staging a historic sit-in protest in the U.S. House of Representatives, House Democratic lawmakers are planning a "day of action" nationwide next week to keep pushing for gun control.

In a letter sent to all Democratic colleagues in the House on Friday, six Democratic Representatives, including John Lewis, John Larson, Katherine Clark, David Cicilline, Robin Kelly and Mike Thompson, called for holding a "day of action" on June 29.

The letter came after House Democrats staged a chaotic sit-in protest on Wednesday to take over the House floor, in an attempt to push for a vote on curbing gun violence. The protest forced the House into earlier recess for the July Fourth Day as the Republicans, who control the House, rejected the Democrats' call.

The letter said that the aim of holding a "day of action" across the country is to carry their message on gun control further.

"A movement was born and will only continue to grow," the letter said, referring to the sit-in protest.

It said that Democratic lawmakers can use any tactics on the day to keep fighting for gun control, including holding a press conference, roundtable, or telephone town hall in their own constituencies.

"Local partners including survivors, law enforcement and faith leaders can be excellent partners and can help carry our message even further," the letter added.

Behind the clash between the Democrats and Republicans on the gun control issue lies this year's presidential race, as the two campaigns are now gearing up to woo more voters.

The sit-in protest by House Democrats was staged after the June 12 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in which a lone gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.

The sit-in also came less than two days after the also Republican-controlled Senate failed to pass four gun-control measures.

In the wake of the Orlando shooting, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump are espousing two competing narratives as explanation for the incident, in hope to control the agenda in the presidential race.

The Clinton campaign described the Orlando attack as the worst mass shooting in the nation's history, while the Trump team called it as a terrorist attack citing that the gunman, Omar Marteen, pledged allegiance to the terror group Islamic State.

The Democrats are pushing Congress to pass bills on curbing gun violence, including barring gun sales to those on the terror watch lists and expanding background checks on buyers.

The move by the Democrats is apparently aimed at firing up the voters advocating for stricter gun control in a country long plagued by gun violence and killings.

But the Republicans have rejected the proposals, arguing that the focus should be on fighting terrorism rather than passing bills that they think would infringe on the gun-ownership rights endowed by the Second Amendment in the Constitution.

The Republican lawmakers have been criticized by many for being kidnapped by powerful U.S. gun lobbying groups led by the National Rifle Association which boasts more than 5 million members.

(APD)