Minnesota state lawmaker holds sit-in on House floor to protest lack of new gun laws

A Minnesota state lawmaker held a 24-hour sit-in on the Minnesota House floor to bring attention to the lack of gun legislation this year, according to Wednesday media reports.

Rep. Erin Maye Quade’s (D) protest began on Tuesday and drew to a close on Wednesday morning, the Star Tribune reported.

According to The Associated Press, some of Maye Quade’s Democratic colleagues and a Republican from a suburban district joined in at the start of the protest to share stories about Minnesotans who had been fatally shot.

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The lawmaker wants expanded background checks and legislation that would allow family members to restrict someone’s access to a gun, the AP reported.

“You have to keep doing what you’re doing,” Maye Quade said after her protest ended, according to the Star Tribune. “Keep calling your legislators, keep marching, keep writing letters.”

The legislature’s Republican majority — as well as rural Democrats — have resisted such measures, according to the AP.