• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, June 24, 2016

Following the Orlando massacre, Democrats in the United States Congress erupted in anger over inaction on gun legislation.

With a debate in the Senate morphing into a filibuster led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn), the subsequent sit-in lasted almost 26 hours on the floor of the U.S House of Representatives. Members of Congress protested when debate was futile in the normal course of business.

Speaker Ryan went so far as to turn off the C-SPAN cameras during the sit-in, only to have Congressman Beto O’Rourke begin live streaming of the events. The power of social media and the opportunities it affords for dissemination and education of the public were on display as the sit-in continued.

Whether it was the sit-in itself, the social media presence, or a slew of calls to Representatives that made a difference, we now finally have a bill supported by a majority of the Senate, though not the majority of 60 that it would need to advance.

While it is a minuscule step in the right direction in the opinion of Democrats, it does show there could be more room for negotiation and compromise, as well as empowering gun-control activists to make this issue central in an election year.

The bipartisan bill, put forward by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, would make it easier for some on the no-fly list to be denied the opportunity to legally buy guns. But it's a far cry from the assault-weapons ban advocated by many Democrats in Congress.

NowThis News released a video online calling for what it coined a “social media sit-in.” In the words of NowThis, “These lawmakers are standing up and saying enough is enough, so they staged a sit-in. Now it’s time for a social media sit-in … a protest on Facebook.”

One guarantee: The debate over gun control will remain front and center in the legislative sphere, as it will in the local and social media realms.

Separately, Great Britain voted to leave the European Union yesterday, in a move that will have far-ranging political consequences for the world. In the coming days, we will see how presidential candidates react. The move could be a boost for Trump, who has come out in favor of Brexit.