ANALYSIS: What the Congressional Slumber Party on Gun Control Did -- And Didn’t -- Accomplish

— -- House Democrats ended their sit-in demanding votes on gun control legislation after almost 26 hours. It was a rare event seeing members of Congress seated on the floor in suits, skirts, and blankets, all trying to force votes on measures after the largest mass shooting in our nation’s recent history.

During the hours of sitting (and talking) on the floor, House Democrats said they wanted votes on two measures that may sound familiar to those following politics this week -- one, to stop people on terrorist watch lists from purchasing guns and two, to expand mandatory background checks to firearm purchases at gun shows and online.

They may sound familiar because both of these measure failed in the Senate earlier this week and their political fate will likely have no different result in the House.

The Democrats, though, have vowed to keep going after they return to session in early July, with civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis -- who led the charge for the vote—saying, “We must never ever give up, or give in.”

“We must keep the faith and we must come back here on July 5 more determined than ever before,” Lewis said.

Despite the new tactic, it is likely that gun control will stay completely stagnant -- even though voters do want change. In a recent CBS News poll, 57 percent of Americans believe gun control laws should be more strict, while 29 percent believe laws should be kept as they are while 11 percent want them loosened.

The numbers become much more dramatic on the issue of background checks. A CNN/ORC poll from this month also asked about whether Americans want background checks and 92 percent favored them with only 8 percent opposing.

So is nothing accomplished with the congressional slumber party? Not exactly: Democratic constituents are able to see their representatives doing something on an issue in which they want progress. Local news all over the country reported which members took part so in districts where this matters they will know their member took action. That may not matter in the long run for gun control, but politically, yes, this could have impact.

On the other hand, in conservative districts all over this country, gun control (and caving to Democrats’ demands) is exactly the opposite of what the GOP voting base wants, making this a win-win for House Republicans, too, in a way. By resisting those demands and voting against gun-control measures, GOP lawmakers can stay on the conservative side of a hot-button issue while also standing up to Democrats in a well-publicized fight.

The sit-in also shows an aggressive new tactic by the congressional minority party. On the same day Donald Trump gave a speech blasting Hillary Clinton with a string of inaccurate criticisms, they were able to give their nominee some cover, distracting from (or replacing) some of Trump’s negative headlines and also showing they are willing to confront Democrats head on.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed the actions weren’t political and that’s despite the fundraising appeals from the DCCC, but in a climate as divided as the one we are in now, just about everything seems political in some way, even when the issues are as important an critical as this one.