Civil Rights Activist And Congressman Favors Gun Control

ATLANTA (AP) — Prominent civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis is urging voters in his Georgia district to join with House Democrats pushing for stricter gun control.

Lewis got a warm reception from those gathered inside a room at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Wednesday. He urged people who support changes to U.S. law on guns to "find a way to get in the way." Lewis noted the 25 Democrats who held a sit-in on the House floor last week in favor of stronger gun controls following a recent nightclub shooting in Florida that left 49 people dead.

Lewis connected the current struggle to the civil rights movement: He said leaders of the movement were told that civil and voting rights laws could never pass, but they did.