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GOP Pushing to End Democratic Sit-In: 'It Will Be Loud and Probably Be Noisy

GOP Pushing to End Democratic Sit-In: 'It Will Be Loud and Probably Be Noisy

"You might want to get in the gallery and watch the show."

House Republicans will try to regain control of the chamber from their Democratic counterparts, who have been staging a sit-in over gun control since late Wednesday morning, with a vote on President Barack Obama's fiduciary rule.

"It will be loud and probably be noisy," Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), advisor to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), told reporters after House Republicans held a special meeting about how to address the Democratic demonstration.

This photo provided by Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine shows Democrat members of Congress, including, front row, from left, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., participate in sit-down protest seeking a a vote on gun control measures, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Rep. Chellie Pingree via AP)

"You might want to get in the gallery and watch the show," he added.

Dozens of House and Senate lawmakers have been occupying the House chamber since Wednesday morning. The goal of the sit-in was to push Ryan and other Republican leaders to hold a vote on "no fly, no buy" legislation that would prevent those on terror watch lists from purchasing firearms.

The highly-publicized sit-in gained increased media attention when the C-SPAN feed into the House floor was cut. According to the network, C-SPAN "has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras." As a result, Democrats began live-streaming the demonstration on Twitter-owned Periscope.

Republicans are standing firmly against the Democrats, saying there will be no votes on gun control-related measures Wednesday night. Instead, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will hold a vote to overturn the Labor Department's new rule requiring financial advisors to act in their clients' best interest.

But Democrats are equally as stubborn. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) vowed that her progressive counterparts will maintain their protest "until we get a bill" on gun control.

"People are tired of moments of silence," she told reporters Wednesday. "They refuse to just accept the fact that we'll have a moment of silence and it will be indicative of the silence that will follow — that it will substitute for action. … And it's just not going to happen again."

Ryan has a few options for removing the Democrats currently occupying the chamber.

He can have them forcibly removed — an action Republican Rep. Diane Black (Tenn.) supports. Ryan could also succumb to the Democrats' wish by holding a vote on gun control measures, but that is not likely to happen.

"This is not a way to bring up legislation," Ryan told CNN host Wolf Blitzer Wednesday evening.

Lastly, the speaker could simply ignore the protesting politicians, a decision Dr. David Woodard, Thurmond professor of political science at Clemson University, said might be the best decision because forcible removal doesn't "look good on television."

"Such demonstrations require public attention," he said. "When nothing happens, it becomes very tired television. The one percent wore out, the Vietnam demonstrators were ignored in occupation and the Civil Rights protests often lost steam if ignored."

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