Paul Ryan shouted down by Democrats while reconvening the House


After about 30 Democratic lawmakers staged a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday to push House Republicans to hold a vote on gun control legislation, Speaker Paul Ryan tried to gavel the house to order at around 10 p.m. ET, and was shouted down with chants of "No bill, no break."
Ryan called for a vote on an unrelated measure not pertaining to guns, and as he walked away from the speaker's chair, he was booed by Democrats who pointed and yelled "Shame, shame, shame." The House Democrats held up photographs of victims of gun violence as well as pieces of paper with their names, and sang "We Shall Overcome." The House went into recess about 30 minutes after it was reconvened, but the protest continues.
The sit-in was sparked by the Senate blocking four gun control measures earlier in the week. Democrats are urging a vote on a bipartisan bill introduced Tuesday by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that would prevent some terrorism suspects from purchasing guns, and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said Democrats will occupy the floor "until there is action."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Sodium batteries could make electric flight viable
Under the Radar Low-cost fuel cell has higher energy density and produces chemical by-product that could absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges