Paul Ryan shouted down by Democrats while reconvening the House

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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."

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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.