House Democrats, led by Georgia representative John Lewis, are staging a sit-in to call for a vote on gun-control measures in the wake of the Orlando massacre, which began Wednesday (June 22) afternoon.
Republican House speaker Paul Ryan—who dismissed Democrats’ efforts as a “publicity stunt”—reconvened the chamber around 2:30 am ET, held a number of procedural votes and then adjourned the legislative session until July 5. With that, Republican lawmakers set off on their mid-summer break.
So far, Democrats show no sign of budging. As of 7:00 am, Thursday, around 20 Democratic legislators remain on the floor, including minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
C-SPAN, whose cameras had been shut off by House Republicans at the outset of the sit-in, continues to broadcast Periscope feeds published by participating congressmen.
Democratic congressional leaders are said to be meeting later today to discuss how best to respond to Ryan’s adjournment. But according to CNN, Pelosi said the sit-in would continue “until hell freezes over.”