Rebellious Democrats shut down the House's legislative work on Wednesday, staging a sit-in on the House floor and refusing to leave until they secured a vote on gun control measures before lawmakers' weeklong break.

Exasperated Republicans were forced to recess while cutting off cameras that showed the protest. But in an unprecedented step, C-SPAN used live video feeds from one lawmaker's Periscope account and another's Facebook page to transmit words and images from the House chamber.

More than 200 Democrats led by Georgia Rep John Lewis demanded a vote on measures to expand background checks and block gun purchases by some suspected terrorists in the aftermath of last week's massacre in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people in a gay nightclub.

"No bill, no break," shouted Democrats, who demanded that Speaker Paul Ryan keep the House in session through its planned break next week to vote on gun legislation.

Democrats accused Republicans of political cowardice by failing to schedule a vote.

"Are they more afraid than the children at Sandy Hook?" asked Rep Mike Thompson, referring to the 2012 shooting that killed 26 people, including 20 elementary school children, in Newtown, Connecticut. "What is so scary about having a vote?"

Lewis, a veteran civil rights leader, asked what Congress has done, then answered his own question: "Nothing. We have turned a deaf ear to the blood of innocents. We are blind to a crisis. Where is our courage?"

Rep Frank Pallone called Republicans "cowards".

Ryan dismissed the protest as "nothing more than a publicity stunt". In an interview with CNN, the Speaker said the House will not vote on a "bill that takes away a person's due process".

Republicans emerging from a closed-door meeting said they would hold votes on other legislation, but not the gun votes demanded by the Democrats.

"We are going to go about our business starting tonight," said Republican Rep Ann Wagner. Democrats were certain to challenge any move.

The protest began around 11:30 am, interrupted briefly when Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, tried to start the House's work at noon. The customary prayer and pledge of allegiance went ahead, but Poe was forced to recess the House when dozens of Democrats refused to leave the well.

By late afternoon, 168 House Democrats - out of 188 - and 34 Senate Democrats joined the protest, according to the House minority leader's office, and there was no sign of quitting.

Congress remains gridlocked over gun control, a divide even more pronounced in a presidential election year. The sit-in had the feel of a 1960s-style protest, as some lawmakers sat on the floor, others in their seats.

Rep Bobby Rush of Illinois said he was proud of his fellow Democrats and offered a rebuke to Ryan and other GOP leaders, who were absent from the chamber most of the day.

"You can run, but you can't hide," Rush said to cheers from his Democratic colleagues.

(China Daily 06/23/2016 page2)