BREAKING: Speaker Ryan Continues To Refuses Vote On Gun Safety Laws (Update 6)

By Frances Langum — June 22, 2016

The Hill: (This post will be updated as news unfolds.)

Democrats are staging a sit-in on the House floor to push for action on gun control legislation.

More than two dozen Democrats were participating in the sit-in shortly before noon, with some lawmakers seated cross-legged on the floor.
Democrats have been pressing for action on gun control before the House leaves at the end of this week for a planned recess.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the veteran lawmaker who was brutally beaten by police in the civil rights march on Selma, Ala., began the sit-in with a speech on the floor where he was surrounded by dozens of his colleagues.

"We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the deaths in our nation," he said. "Mr, Speaker, where is the heart of this body. Where is our soul?

"How many more mothers, how many more fathers have to share tears of grief before we decide to do anything?"

Shortly after Lewis spoke, the Democratic lawmakers sat down in the well of the House.

The House was then gaveled into recess, and cameras in the House appeared to be turned off so that the protest was not recorded.

C-SPAN later aired Lewis's comments, and a C-SPAN anchor pointedly noted that C-SPAN does not control the cameras in the House.

UPDATE: (Karoli) House members have been joined by some of the Senators who participated in the filibuster. The cameras are still off, but CSPAN is feeding a Periscope video shot in real time by Rep. Scott Peters.

As I write, Alan Grayson is reading the names of the victims in Orlando.

Here is the Grayson video:

Rep. Mark Takano is streaming on Facebook live. I'm having difficulty embedding the video, but I'm still looking for more live video. CSPAN is also broadcasting Takano's stream on C-SPAN 1.

UPDATE 3: (Karoli)

Senators are coming to the House to stand in solidarity with the House. Senator Bernie Sanders arrived a few minutes ago, and right then the feed died. I don't know why, but they've got it back again.

Call your Representatives and urge a vote on their amendments. Do not expect those amendments to pass, but at least you will have Representatives on the record as to where they stand on background checks and no fly-no buy. We really need to know who stands with the NRA and who does not.

The hashtag on Twitter is #NoBillNoBreak. And Rep. Maxine Waters tweeted this:

We are prepared to stand here as long as it takes. We are stronger than any lobby or special interest. - mw #NoBillNoBreak

— Maxine Waters (@MaxineWaters) June 22, 2016

UPDATE 4: (Karoli) Republicans are being typically idiotic about this, and one took to Twitter to scold Rep. John Lewis, because "this isn't really a sit-in."

Calling this a sit-in is a disgrace to Woolworth's. They sat-in for rights. Dems are "sitting-in" to strip them away https://t.co/uBT0cPqsjT

— Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) June 22, 2016

Walker received a reply:

@RepMarkWalker @repjohnlewis would probably be happy to educate you on sit-ins. Perhaps you could ask him?

— Joel Mendelson (@JPMendelson) June 22, 2016

LOL, GOP.

UPDATE 5: (Karoli)

I just put up Rep. John Garamendi's powerful speech yelling at the empty Speaker's chair here.

And right after that, this happened.

OMG House Dems literally calling the GOP to stop hiding in the cloakroom and come out, calling them cowards. #NoBillNoBreak

— Rev. Magdalen (@revmagdalen) June 22, 2016

Update 6: (Karoli)

Speaker Ryan continues to refuse any votes on gun safety laws.