Shouting “No Bill, No Break,” scores of Congressional Democrats staged a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday, shutting down the People’s business, and refusing to budge unless given a vote on gun control measures. The effort comes in the wake of last week’s terrorist attack in Orlando which killed 49 people, and revived the Democrat Party’s efforts to squeeze the Second Amendment.

The Democrats are demanding a vote on measures to expand background checks and block gun purchases by those on the government’s terrorist watch list, insisting House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis) keep the House in session through its scheduled break until there is such a vote. While Speaker Ryan said Wednesday he is “waiting to see what the Senate does before proceeding” on gun legislation, Democrats accused Republicans of political cowardice. “Are they more afraid than the children at Sandy Hook?” asked Rep. Michael Thompson, (D-Calif.), referencing the 20 elementary school kids killed in Newton, Connecticut in 2012, “What is so scary about having a vote?” (A reminder: Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza stole his mother’s legally purchased guns.)

Leading the sit-in was U.S. Representative and civil rights pioneer John Lewis (D-Ga.).

My colleagues & I have had enough. We are sitting-in on the House Floor until we get a vote to address gun violence. https://t.co/rTqrPifuUz

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 22, 2016

In an irony noted by The Daily Caller News Foundation, Lewis himself had been “erroneously placed on the no-fly list he now wants to use to restrict gun ownership for U.S. citizenship.”

A Protest Fit for C-SPAN and Social Media

Today’s protest began around 11:30 a.m., interrupted briefly when Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, tried to start the House’s work at noon. The customary prayer and pledge of allegiance went ahead, but Poe was forced to recess the House when dozens of Democrats refused to leave the well. By mid-afternoon, the protest was still going on. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Democrats would sit “until we have a bill … We’re in for the long haul.”

This photo provided by Rep.Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. shows Democrat members of Congress, including, from left, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.,participating in sit-down protest seeking a a vote on gun control measures, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Rep. Suzanne Bonamici via AP)

Exasperated Republicans were forced to recess.  Said Ryan spokeswoman Ashlee Strong in an email titled “Democrat Publicity Stunt,” “The House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution, so the House has recessed subject to the call of the chair.” The cameras and microphones that feed House proceedings to C-SPAN were cut off. However, in an unprecedented step, C-SPAN used live social media feeds from two lawmakers to continue transmitting the action from the House Floor. As USA Today reported, by long-standing policy, the broadcast is only live while the House is in session and under the control of Congress.  C-SPAN Communications Director Howard Mortman told USA Today the network has for years been asking Congress for the right to have its own independent cameras in the chamber, but leaders of both parties have declined.

As a workaround, C-SPAN linked to a live broadcast from the floor by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) via Periscope. As of 6:45 p.m. Eastern, over 650,000 people were logged onto Rep. Peters’ feed. It should be noted House rules generally prohibit members from taking pictures or video on the floor.

The protest isn’t without precedent. In 2008, when Democrats controlled the House, Republicans staged a similar protest hoping to push a vote to expand oil and gas drilling. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a recess and shut off the cameras. Though their speeches didn’t make it out onto social media, the GOP did eventually get their vote.