Something is happening on gun control. There is a persistent flame of protest that is getting stronger instead of weaker, fanned by Americans who are disgusted at repeated outbreaks of gun violence — and not just from would-be terrorists.

During an unprecedented sit-in by Democrats on the U.S. House floor from Wednesday into early Thursday, one representative said that if guns made America safer, this would be the safest country in the world. Clearly, it is not, and as mass shootings become more frequent and the body count grows, those who support some restoration of common-sense control are getting bolder and louder.

Americans should not expect nor want to see the House sit-in become a common tactic, but sometimes, as Rep. John Lewis said, it's time to get into "good trouble." The bills themselves are so very modest: Background checks of private gun sales, bringing them into line with what every licensed firearms dealer in the country already does. Lifting the Orwellian federal ban on funding research on gun violence. And, finally, barring individuals who are deemed too dangerous to board a commercial flight from purchasing a gun. House Democrats, after watching those proposals go down in defeat in the Senate last week, were determined that they would not be denied a vote. But the GOP majority decided it would use its power to shut down the House rather than take a vote they know would go against the rising public demand for action on gun violence.

In the meantime, one Republican senator — Susan Collins of Maine — struggled to build a little bipartisanship, but that too was snuffed out by GOP leaders who rushed a vote to the floor on Thursday, just as she was building momentum for her bill. Despite having a good mix of Republican and Democratic support for her proposal to stop those on the government's no-fly list from purchasing weapons, the effort fell eight votes short. The no-fly list is far smaller than the FBI's Terrorist Watchlist. As GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham put it, "If you're on this list, it's not because you went to a Tea Party rally or you've got a political ax for the president or you're a liberal. You're on this list because you're doing things that unnerve the FBI to the point that you can't fly on an airplane."

Graham was a cosponsor of Collins' bill, as were Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. A number of Democrats had joined in as well, including Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid also recently announced his support. It was a modest bill. It did nothing to expand background checks or fund research on gun violence — two vital objectives. But it did represent a small step forward.

The House is done now, gaveled to recess in the predawn hours Thursday by Republican leaders eager to end the sit-in that had galvanized millions of Americans who watched it via the streaming app Periscope long after House cameras were shut down.

This effort can't end there. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said Thursday that "we are going back to our congressional districts, we are going to engage our constituents on this subject and we will not allow this body to feel as comfortable as in the past. On July 5, we will return, and at that time we will be operating on a new sense of a purpose."

It is hoped that in that time, Republicans too will talk to their constituents and return prepared to find a true middle ground that restores the balance of rights and regulation intended by constitutional framers.