ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A month after the Orlando nightclub shooting, dozens of gun control advocates started a 49-hour sit-in near Sen. Marco Rubio’s office to remember the 49 victims. They sang songs, held signs that said “#SitForThe49” and laid 49 red roses on white paper with the names of each victim.
Nine hours in, police cut the demonstration short by arresting 10 protesters who refused to leave the building after business hours. The sit-in was part of a larger fight for new gun control measures, but so far the calls for change have yielded no results.
The protest was reminiscent of a 26-hour sit-in Democrats staged on the U.S. House floor last month. A GOP-written gun and anti-terror bill has stalled in Washington during this election year and it’s unclear when the House will consider the measure.
On Tuesday, two parents of a Pulse victim observed the shooting anniversary by visiting Washington, urging members of Congress to pass gun control laws.
Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse during “Latin Night” on June 12 in a rampage that left 49 victims dead and injured 53 at the gay nightclub in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during a call with police dispatchers amid a three-hour standoff, died in a hail of police gunfire after police stormed the venue.