During a press conference yesterday, Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, stated that the Democrats’ protest was “not becoming of the U.S. Congress,” noting that they may have damaged furniture and mistreated House staff. According to The New York Times, McCarthy, Speaker Paul Ryan, and the House sergeant-at-arms will soon meet to discuss possible repercussions for the Democrats who violated decorum.
Most likely though, Republicans are just blowing smoke. The chances of punishment seems slim, given that such measures will only serve to further unify Democrats and justify their cause. And Democrats have the polls on their side—according to CNN/ORC, 92 percent of people support expanded background checks and 85 percent support banning those on terrorist watch lists from buying guns. While there are certainly criticisms to be made of how Democrats handled the sit-in, it sure is fun to see Republicans make a fuss over decorum only a few years out from the government shutdown.