7 Arrested In Gays Against Guns Protest At Senate Office Building
On Monday, members of Gays Against Guns (GAG) staged a die-in in the Hart Senate Building, protesting yet another senseless mass shooting in America. Seven members of the group, formed in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting last year, were arrested by Capitol Police.
Chanting “You’re killing us with money from the NRA” outside, demonstrators entered the building shortly after 12:30pm and laid down on the floor. After an officer told them three times they were engaging in “unlawful conduct,” a number of them were taken into custody.
Outside, more members waved signs and shouted, " How many more have to die? Gun control now!"
Though it was in the works for weeks, the action took place less than one day after a lone gunman opened fire in a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church, killing at least 26 people.
Following the direct-action strategy of ACT UP, GAG draws attention to the NRA’s stranglehold on Congress and urges passage of both a assault-weapons ban and The Gun Background Check Expansion Act. The group also wants the government to fund CDC research on gun violence as a health issue.
Last month, a GAG demonstration was held in Times Square after a mass shooting in Las Vegas killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. Figures shrouded in white to represent those killed by gun violence are a hallmark of their protests.
Die ins have been held at New York Pride and the Lincoln Memorial, and GAG has protested outside the homes of members of Congress with puppet effigies, symbolizing how they are puppets of the NRA.