WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats carried a remarkable House floor sit-in into a second day, disrupting the business of Congress with demands for gun-control votes in an unruly scene broadcast live to the world. Republicans branded the move as a publicity stunt before summarily adjourning the chamber until after the Fourth of July.
Even after the House adjourned around 3:15 a.m. EDT Thursday, and Republicans streamed to the exits, Democrats stayed on the House floor, shouting "No bill no break!" and waving papers with the names of gun victims written in black. Rep. Maxine Waters of California said she was ready to stay "until Hell freezes over."
Gradually the Democrats began to wind down their protest, but a core group lingered, some wrapped in blankets or resting on pillows. With a crowd cheering them on from outside the Capitol and many more following the theatrics on social media, Democrats declared success in dramatizing the argument for action to stem gun violence.
"Just because they cut and run in the dark of night, just because they have left doesn't mean we are taking no for an answer," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
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