The chamber’s C-SPAN cameras, which livestreamed parts of the sit-in, were turned off by order of the House Republicans after a recess was called.
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– John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 22, 2016Occupying the House floor w/ @repjohnlewis & other @HouseDemocrats to demand a vote on gun safety.
Mr Ryan attempted to ignore the outbursts and announce the business of the day, pounding down his gavel over the shouting. Democrats cried “Shame, Shame!” Some shouted “No bill, no break!” or sang “We Shall Overcome”, and held up the names of gun attack victims.
The scene presented a radical, nearly shocking departure from the normal orderly conduct of the House.
A senior House Republican aide said it was worth noting that when House Democrats were in the majority, “they not only shut off the cameras, they actually shut off the lights”.
Republicans fiercely resisted the pressure and said Democrats had accomplished nothing other than disrupting the business of the House to score political points.
Lewis, a veteran civil rights leader revered by Democrats, said action on gun violence is long overdue.
Rep. John Larson of CT spoke as Democrats began lying down on the floor of the chamber. They represent CT well. “What is so scary about having a vote?”
“As the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history has underscored, our country can not afford to stand by while this Congress continues to be paralyzed by politics”, the Georgia Democrat and civil rights icon wrote. “Are we blind? Can we see? Where is our courage?”
Ryan dismissed the protest as “nothing more than a publicity stunt”, and in an interview with CNN, made clear there would be no vote.
“We have lost hundreds and thousands of innocent people to gun violence”, Lewis said as he urged fellow Democrats to stand with him in the area near the podium, known as the well.
Republicans shut off the cameras in the House gallery throughout most of the protest, but Democrats used their cellphones to capture the action. The customary prayer and Pledge of Allegiance went ahead, but Poe was forced to recess the House when dozens of Democrats refused to leave the well. About 30 Democrats have joined the sit-in, NPR reported.
Congress has not passed major gun control legislation since 1994, with gun rights defenders saying such measures infringe the constitutional right to bear arms.
Scattered around the House floor were signs reading “Disarm Hate”. Some lawmakers sat on the floor; others were in their seats.
Republicans had staged a similar protest in 2008. The change, Democrats insist, won’t come from the White House but by voting out legislators beholden to the NRA.
The House leaves for a recess at the end of this week. Ms Pelosi ordered the cameras to be turned off.
Republicans ultimately forced the drilling provision to be attached to a stopgap spending Bill. They’re run on authorization by legislative leaders. “We’ve incorporated social media extensively in our overall coverage”.
At one point overnight, the two sides almost came to blows after Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas approached the Democrats and yelled, “Radical Islam!”
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The agitation for action caused a Senate filibuster last week and led to the chaos in the House, a spectacle captured the attention of a Washington gridlocked on guns.
