Democrats in the House took a page from their Senate colleagues’ playbook and staged a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday morning to demand Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan bring gun control legislation to a vote. Morning turned into afternoon and afternoon into evening, as the Democrats continued to one by one give speeches on the need for restrictions on gun ownership, specifically calling for “No Fly, No Buy” legislation that would make it harder for individuals on the terror watch list to purchase firearms.
Republicans adjourned the House and subsequently pulled the plug on the C-SPAN feed televising the Democrats legislative insurrection. Fun fact: The majority party is in charge of the network’s cameras, which are only on when the House is technically in session. Democrats turned quickly to Periscope and resumed broadcasting on their own—their feeds were then picked up by the network.
When Ryan came back to the floor around 10 p.m. to call the House to order for two votes unrelated to gun legislation, the Democrats opposition reached full throated-levels as they shouted “No Bill, No Break” while Ryan addressed the members who were at this point spread out across the floor, rather than in their usual seats. It was quite a scene and a remarkable day in a standoff that surely isn’t over.
