House Democrats, including, from left to right, Rep. Joe Courtne, of Connecticut, Rep. Elizabeth Esty, also of Connecticut and Rep. John Lewis, of Georgia, sit in to protest for a gun control vote. (Rep. Robin Kelly/Twitter)
House Democrats are holding a sit-in on the House floor to protest for a vote on gun control measures in the wake of the Orlando mass shooting. The sit in comes a week after Senator Chris Murphy and his Democratic colleagues held a 15-hour filibuster in the Senate, leading to a vote on four gun control bills. The Senate failed to pass those bills Tuesday.
The CSPAN live stream using TV cameras in the House have been shut off while the House is in recess. The cameras are controlled by the House, not by CSPAN.
C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras.
But CSPAN has been streaming Periscope video of the protest, which you can watch here.
Rep. Eric Swalwell was streaming live on Facebook during part of the sit in. You can watch that video here.
The early moments of the sit-in were caught on CSPAN cameras:
WATCH @HouseDemocrats stage sit-in on House floor. “We have to occupy the floor of the House until there is action.”
Rep. John Lewis also posted video from the floor on YouTube:
Rep. Scott Peters, of California, was also streaming live on Periscope. You can watch that video here.
A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has been criticized for not allowing CSPAN to stream the sit in, said on Twitter:
The House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution, so the House has recessed subject to the call of the chair.
