U.S. House Democrats staged a highly unusual protest against Republicans' reluctance to vote on a gun control bill, but experts said the move is unlikely to sway the Republicans.
The Democratic lawmakers' protest, which was held Wednesday and ended Thursday, came in the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, in which 49 people were killed and 53 others were injured at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12.
Pandemonium broke out on the House floor on Wednesday, with Democrats screaming and chanting in a scene that looked like a street protest.
House Democrats chanted "no bill, no break" and did not leave the chamber floor until early Thursday morning. The rare scene grabbed national attention for what some critics said looked like the government of a banana republic.
The protest was a sharp break from Congressional protocol, and was done in response to the Orlando shooting which was conducted by a gunman who had pledged allegiance to terror group Islamic State (IS).
Lawmakers from the two parties are at loggerheads over the cause of the incident, with Republicans blaming radical Islam and Democrats calling for stricter gun laws.
Republicans in Congress are reluctant to sign new gun control measures, as they believe new laws will do little to curb terrorism. But Democrats point out that the gunman, Omar Mateen, was able to legally purchase fire arms despite being on a police watch list for alleged links to terrorism.
Democrats may attempt to force action in July but will face serious limits in their ability to do this given their minority status," said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution.
"Republicans control the chamber and dictate what comes up for a vote. If they don' t want to vote on a gun bill, there won' t be a vote," West told Xinhua.
"The current House is not likely to approve gun legislation. It has voted bills down in the past and will continue to do so until there is a significant change in the member composition," West added.
Republicans slammed House Democrats for what they referred to as political theatrics that departs from the normal protocol, with House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, expressing concern on Thursday that the move denigrates the country' s system of democracy and rule of law.
Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said that it is not clear that Democrats' protests will produce results.
"The opposition to gun control is intense, with a powerful lobby and powerful partisan support behind it. Speaker Ryan has already demonstrated that his party is willing to play hardball to undercut this effort," Zelizer said.
Still, if there were to be a vote, there may be a chance at passage, Zelizer said.
"It has a chance. When party leaders work so hard to prevent a vote, it usually means there is a chance it will succeed. Otherwise the preference is to let something die on the floor," he noted.
The gun control debate has been ongoing for decades, and no significant gun legislation has been implemented during the current administration.
That' s not only because of the influence of gun lobbying groups, but also because there is little public push for new gun control measures in a country that is mostly concerned with the economy and jobs.
