House adjourns as Democrats vow to continue sit-in

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The House of Representatives adjourned early Thursday until July 5 as Democratic lawmakers pledged to continue a sit-in to force a vote on a gun control bill.

As the Republican-led House adjourned at roughly 3.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) for the July 4 holiday,Democrats shouted “No bill no break!” as they waved papers replete with the names of gun violence victims.

“There’s an epidemic of gun violence in America,” Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said after the chamber adjourned. “We will be back. We will come back into session July 5. Republicans have left in the dead of night and with business unfinished.”

Scenes from inside the chamber were broadcast by House members using their cellphones after broadcast cameras were shut down by Republicans. The network then fed the scenes from ] members’ phones.

Democrats are trying to force a vote on a "no fly, no buy" resolution that would bar those on no-fly lists from purchasing a firearm.

The White House hailed the effort as “an extraordinary step to change the status quo.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier reconvened the chamber for votes unrelated to gun control around 10 p.m. Wednesday (0200GMT) amid Democratic shouts of “Shame! Shame!” as House business proceeded.

Approximately 30 Democrats began the protest earlier in the day, led by Georgia Rep. John Lewis, which grew to more than 100 members a few hours later. The lawmakers took turns for hours as they discussed gun violence after Omar Mateen allegedly slaughtered 49 people and wounded 53 others at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Ryan dismissed the action as a “publicity stunt” on CNN saying lawmakers are merely trying to get attention.

"This isn't trying to come up with a solution to a problem,” he said.

Other Republicans were less muted in their criticism.

“Calling this a sit-in is a disgrace to Woolworth's,” Rep. Mark Walker tweeted, referring to a monumental civil rights sit-in at the department store. “They sat-in for rights. Dems are ‘sitting-in’ to strip them away.”

The Republican-controlled Senate voted down four gun control measures Monday that were widely expected to fail.

Prior to adjourning, the House was able to pass a $1.1 billion funding bill to support anti-Zika efforts in the U.S.