A member of Hawaii’s congressional delegation joined — and two others supported — dozens of Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in an impromptu sit-in on the floor of the House chamber to try to force the Republican majority to hold votes on gun control measures as outrage mounts over the massacre in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month and other recent mass shootings.

The sit-in began at about 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, with House Democrats vowing to continue on through the night.

As the protest began, House Republicans quickly called for a recess, cutting off the audio and video feeds in the chamber that were being picked up live by C-SPAN. However, House members began streaming the event on their cellphones via Twitter’s Periscope, which was picked up by C-SPAN, allowing the sit-in to be broadcast throughout the day on television and online.

Lawmakers also took to social media to publicize the protest.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard tweeted a photo of her view from the well of the chamber as she sat surrounded by fellow Democrats. “I’m on the House floor, literally, sitting in, asking for the opportunity to vote on gun control,” she tweeted.

Later in the day, she blasted Republicans in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

“In the 3-1/2 years I’ve served in Congress, the Republicans have not once allowed members to vote on any gun control legislation,” she wrote. “It is outrageous in this democracy, with a representative form of government, that we are not even allowed to vote on sensible gun control legislation that is supported by the vast majority of the American people and that would help ensure the American people are safe.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Takai’s office didn’t respond to inquiries about whether the congressman, who has been a strong supporter of gun control legislation, also attended the sit-in. Takai is suffering from pancreatic cancer and announced last month that he would not be seeking re-election in order to tend to his health.

The sit-in follows last week’s filibuster by Senate Democrats protesting Congress’ inaction on gun control bills in the wake of the June 12 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida that left 49 people dead and dozens wounded.

In a show of solidarity, a number of Senate Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, stopped by the House sit-in. Hirono brought snacks with a note that read: “To our friends in the House — we’re standing (sitting) in solidarity with you. No vote, no break!”

She later sent out an email to supporters calling the Republican’s actions “appalling.”

“The American people want us to pass this kind of legislation to stop the carnage in our streets, and in our homes, and in our buildings,” she wrote. “They want us to stand up to the (National Rifle Association).”

Congress has been deadlocked on gun legislation. Since 2015, members of Congress have introduced 100 gun bills, about half of which have sought stricter controls, while the others have sought to expand or protect Second Amendment rights, according to an analysis by the Washington Post this month. None of them has passed.

Among the four members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, Takai has backed the most bills meant to tighten gun laws, sponsoring or co-sponsoring seven measures, according to a Post database. Hirono has sponsored or co-sponsored five bills; Schatz two bills; and Gabbard one bill.

Wednesday’s sit-in was initiated by a small group of House members, including civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.

“We felt that it was time for us to do something and it had to be dramatic, it had to be out of the ordinary,” he said during an interview with C-SPAN about six hours into the sit-in.

“By sitting down, we are really standing up for the very best in the American tradition.”

House Democrats chanted slogans such as “No bill, no break!” in reference to the upcoming Independence Day recess, and “Come on out!” throughout the day, while members took turns delivering impassioned speeches about the need for stricter gun laws.

House members specifically demanded votes on measures that would expand background checks and a measure known as the “No Fly, No Buy” bill, which would ban gun sales to terrorism suspects on the government’s “no fly” list. Republicans have argued that the measure would trample citizens’ due process rights.

House Speaker Paul Ryan also pointed out that the U.S. Senate had already defeated the “No Fly, No Buy” bill.

“They know we will not bring up a bill that takes away a person’s constitutionally guaranteed rights without their due process,” he told CNN as the sit-in went on. “We don’t agree with that, and the Senate already doesn’t agree with that.”

Ryan called the sit-in “nothing more than a publicity stunt.”

Takai is a co-sponsor of the “No Fly, No Buy” bill, along with 117 other Democrats and two Republicans. Schatz and Hirono signed on to a similar bill in the Senate that failed earlier this week.

Gabbard has not signed on as a sponsor of the House version of the bill. She told the Star-Advertiser that she plans to introduce “compromise legislation” today that addresses concerns about due process.

“We must pass legislation to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. There is bipartisan agreement on this,” she said by email. “However, there are valid constitutional concerns that the ACLU and others have raised on the lack of due process and transparency for those who have mistakenly been placed on the no fly list and terror watch list, both of which have a high error rate.”