Democrats end House sit-in after 25 hours of demanding votes on gun control

WASHINGTON — House Democrats ended their sit-in on the floor of the House on Thursday after more than 24 hours of chants and speeches advocating for stricter gun control measures.

Democrats vowed to continue their efforts when the House reconvenes after its July Fourth break. Democratic leaders, meanwhile, said lawmakers will return to their congressional districts and drum up more support.

“We’re going to engage our constituents on this subject and we will not allow this body to ever feel as comfortable as they have felt in the past to silence our voices,’’ said South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the assistant Democratic leader. “The time will come on July 5 when we will return to these hallowed halls and ... we will be operating under a new sense of purpose.’’

Speaker Paul Ryan excoriated Democrats Thursday morning for disrupting the business of the House as the minority party's sit-in to protest inaction on gun violence moved into its second day.

Ryan told reporters Thursday that Democrats "are descending (the House) into chaos —  I don't think this should be a very proud moment for democracy."

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Ryan forced several quick votes in the pre-dawn hours Thursday over loud Democratic objections. He said he would prefer to have allowed debate on those measures, particularly a funding bill to address the Zika virus, but Democrats were not interested in participating in real debate.

"We are not going to allow stunts like this to stop us from carrying out the people's business," he said. Asked whether Democrats could be punished for breaking House rules banning video on the floor, Ryan said, "We're reviewing everything right now ... to ensure we can bring order to this chaos."

The extraordinary protest by more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers — led by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. — began about 11 a.m. Wednesday, bringing legislative business to a halt and triggering a chaotic, late-night showdown as the lawmakers demanded a vote on gun control legislation.

Democrats ended the sit-in with Lewis, a civil rights icon, surrounded by his colleagues as he stood in the well of the chamber.

“We must never ever give up or give in,’’ said Lewis. “We must keep the faith and we must come back here on July 5 more determined than ever before.’’

Democrats continue gun control sit-in after House adjourns

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., was among the original protest planners and was on the floor with Lewis when it began.

“The strategy is to elevate the issue so that people actually will hold politicians accountable if their votes aren’t responsive to what they want,” Yarmuth said Thursday. “We made a big splash yesterday and we’ll do some more when we come back in two weeks. Then hopefully we’ll use that as one of the issues we talk about during the convention and when we get back here in September, we can push it again in the heat of the campaign when hopefully it will have that top-of-the-mind awareness.”

Republicans have called the sit-in a publicity stunt, and Ryan said Thursday it's "now a fundraising scheme."

Led by Ryan, GOP lawmakers regained control of the floor at 10 p.m. Wednesday as Democrats shouted "Shame! Shame!" and sang "We Shall Overcome." GOP lawmakers adjourned the House at 3 a.m. Thursday, following a 239-171 vote to approve $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus. The House is now out of session until July 5.

But Democrats still refused to leave the floor.

On Thursday morning, the Democrats continued to break House rules by using cellphones to videotape fellow protesters making speeches and to post comments on Twitter, all part of their effort to build public support for their cause. The House cameras were turned off, so C-SPAN for a second day was broadcasting video of the protest being live streamed from the floor by lawmakers using Facebook and Periscope.

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"The House did not adjourn without a message being delivered," Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said. "That there is an epidemic of gun violence in America and that we need to pass legislation to make America and Americans safer."

During the sit-in, the Democrats took turns talking about gun violence and ticked off mass shootings in  Newtown, Conn., Charleston, S.C., San Bernardino, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., where Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people and injured 53 others June 12.

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Democratic senators joined the sit-in, as did some former members of Congress. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who attended a press conference on voting rights, also stopped by the chamber Thursday.

“How ironic, if not providential, that the sit-in in Congress today is about the right to vote,” Jackson said earlier.

Jackson said although it was unlikely Republicans would schedule a vote on gun control legislation it was instructive for voters to see who was eager to vote, and who wasn’t.

“The whole world is discussing it now,” Jackson said. “They do well in the dark, but when the lights come on, the rats run in the holes.”

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, attempted to gavel the House into order at noon Wednesday, but when the Democrats refused to quiet, he gaveled the House into recess instead.

On Monday, four gun-control measures failed to advance in the Senate, mostly along party lines.

Hope for any movement there on gun laws has shifted to a proposed compromise spearheaded by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would prevent people on no-fly lists from buying guns. The measure would affect roughly 2,700 Americans, a smaller subset than those on terror watch lists covered by two of the bills rejected Monday. And it would allow individuals denied firearms to appeal in court.

Contributing: Erin Kelly, Mary Troyan and Donovan Slack