U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, a Greenwich Democrat whose Fourth District includes Darien, walked off the floor of the House of Representatives after a moment of silence for those massacred in Orlando was announced Monday.
On the same day as the moment of silence, Himes spoke about it on the House floor. (image from C-SPAN video; full video of his remarks, below)
His walkout, which was then joined by three other congressmen, was the first part of what Roll Call, a Capitol Hill publication, described as an “uproar” among Democrats surrounding the moment of silence. Democrats used it to make a point about lack of a House vote on legislation concerning some gun control proposals.
Himes was joined by Reps. John Larson and Joe Courtney of Connecticut, and Peter Welch of Vermont in walking off of the floor of the House. After the massacre of children at a school in Newtown, Connecticut senators and representatives have been particularly outspoken on gun control issues, according to the Roll Call article.
On Sunday night, Himes said in a tweet that he wouldn’t be participating in any more moments of silence after mass shootings in the United States. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she and other Democrats decided not to walk out, Roll Call reported.
“There were some who did not want to participate and we said, ‘No,’ … We respect and pay our respects to those who lost their lives and families,” Pelosi said, according to Roll Call.
As Darienite.com reported Sunday, Himes also said in tweets that day that God is on his side regarding the issue, and lawmakers on the other side might be going to hell if they didn’t change their minds.
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— See also: “Himes, in Emotional Twitter Outburst, Declares GOP in Congress Ungodly” (June 12)
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After the moment of silence, Himes returned to the chamber, and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, spoke briefly about having the House vote on a gun control measure before House Speaker Paul Ryan cut him off, Roll Call reported. Then at various points some Democrats in the chamber chanted “Where’s the bill?”
According to Roll Call: “They were referring to a bill to ban people who are on the Terrorist Screening Center ‘s no-fly list from being able to purchase a gun.”
Clyburn said he had asked Himes and other representatives not to walk off the floor. He added that he and other Democrats want the House to put at least two other proposals up for a vote along with the no-fly bill: One would ban anyone convicted of a hate crime from getting a gun, the other would mandate that background checks be finished before anyone bought a gun.
Himes also spoke about the matter on the House floor Monday, according to an article published that day on the Esquire magazine website:
“Silence. That is how the leadership of the most powerful country in the world will respond to this week’s massacre of its citizens,” Himes said, before listing off the names of a few of the many victims whose lives were cut short “by a madman with a military rifle.”
The article quoted Himes saying:
And make no mistake. Cut short by this Congress’ fetish to repeatedly meet bloody tragedy with silence. Silence. That is what we offer an America that supports many of the things we could do to slow the bloodbath. Silence. Not me. Not anymore. I will no longer stand here absorbing the faux concern, contrived gravity and tepid smugness of a House complicit in the weekly bloodshed. Sooner or later, the country will hold us accountable for our inaction. But as you bow your head think of what you will say to your God when you are asked what you did to slow the slaughter of the innocents. Silence.
Here’s a video clip of Himes’ remarks on the floor:
For more information, see the full Roll Call article here.
See also:
- “Rep. Jim Himes: Why I walked out of the House’s moment of silence for Orlando” Washington Post (June 14)