Dems Start Their Own Broadcasts When House Cameras Are Turned Off During 'Sit-In’ for Gun Control

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives turned to technologies like live-streamed video Wednesday to get their message out after the in-chamber cameras were turned off.

Dozens of members of Congress disrupted the normal order of the House starting at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, staging a "sit-in" on the floor until the legislative body agreed to vote on the so-called "no fly, no buy" bill, which would ban people on the no-fly list or "selectee" list from buying weapons.

"No bill, no break," they chanted.

C-SPAN, the public television station which normally broadcasts full House proceedings, "has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras," the outlet tweeted.

But Rep. Scott Peters, a California Democrat, live-streamed the House speeches via Periscope. C-SPAN carried Peters' feed live. Members of Congress also live-streamed the sit-in on Facebook.

@ScottPetersSD

Screenshot from C-SPAN.

Videos from the House floor are prohibited by the chamber's rules, Peters said there was a motion to "suspend the rules" so that videos were allowed.

During the sit-in, Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson read the names and ages of each of the Orlando shooting victims.

He pointed out that the decision to shut off the cameras, which appeared to have been made by House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, brought more attention to the sit-in than it would have gotten in the first place.

More people are watching the protest on "pirated cell-phone videos" than "ever would have tuned into C-SPAN," Grayson said.

"They can cut off the mics, they can cut off the cameras — they will not silence our voice," he added.

Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California, called out Ryan by name.

"Speaker Ryan, come out of your office," he said. "Come talk to us. ... Get out of that right-wing echo chamber of special interests."

Watch C-SPAN's live feed of the sit-in here.

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