House Democrats’ Historic Sit-In For Gun Safety Ends After 25 Hours

Update: The historic sit-in staged by the House Democrats to demand a gun control vote has ended after more than 25 hours. So far, the GOP has not given in to Democrats' demand to hold a vote on bills that would strengthen background checks and prohibit people on the no-fly list to acquire legal firearms, The Associated Press reported. The House will reconvene after July 4, and the Democrats have said the fight is not over. “We must come back here on July 5 more determined than ever before," said Rep. John Lewis, who launched the protest on Wednesday morning.

Update: 10:50 a.m.: The House Democrats are not giving up. The extraordinary sit-in protest to push for a vote on gun legislation entered its second day Thursday, even after the House adjourned during the early morning. It’s unclear what the next steps will be for Democrats, but Rep. Steny Hoyer said they will be holding a meeting in the morning to talk about the protest, USA Today reported. The sit-in has been going on for more than 23 hours. The protest was broadcast through Periscope and Facebook Live yesterday in the afternoon, after the Republicans turned off the C-SPAN cameras in the chamber.

Update: June 23, 2016, 1 a.m.: The House sit-in continues into the night. Rep. John Lewis, the key organizer behind the protest, continued his work from the floor and on social media. At one point, he led the assembled in a rendition of "We Shall Overcome." Support among Democrats was widespread, with Senator Elizabeth Warren stopping by to take pictures and bring donuts to those assembled. Crowds assembled outside the House, reportedly chanting "Do your jobs!" at leaving Republicans. At one point, the Republicans returned to the House floor. Speaker Paul Ryan said earlier in the day that the sit-in was a "stunt" and said that he would not allow the House to vote on a bill that had been defeated in the Senate. The scene was chaotic as he tried to retake control of the House floor.

Eventually, they did attempt to convene a vote on a measure that would attempt to reduce the obligation for financial advisors to act in the best interests of their clients. After that measure, Ryan announced a new legislative schedule, by which the House would vote on a single measure and then disperse.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the move "an act of cowardice."

A group of House Democrats are in the middle of an hours-long sit-in to push for gun control legislation before the House leaves for their scheduled recess at the end of the week. "The American people are demanding action. Do we have the courage, do we have the raw courage to make at least a down payment on ending gun violence in America?" Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) asked during a speech. About 30 Democrats have joined the sit-in, NPR reported. Many of them have tweeted pictures of themselves using the hashtags #WhereIsTheBill and #NoBillNoBreak. 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. “The House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution, so the House has recessed subject to the call of the chair,” AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted. The sit-in protest comes almost a week after the Senate Democrats held a 15-hour-long filibuster demanding that the issue of gun safety be addressed in the aftermath of the Orlando shootings.