Florida Democrat slams Paul Ryan: He thinks sit-in was 'publicity stunt' because he can't do his job

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) ripped House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for dismissing Democrats' sit-in protest as "a publicity stunt."

"To people who don't know how to legislate, any effort looks like a publicity stunt," Grayson said in a brief interview with TMZ. "That doesn't make it so."

Grayson was part of the group of Democratic legislators who sat on the House floor while calling for a vote on a measure that would expand background checks on gun sales, as well as a proposal to bar anyone on the federal "no fly" list from being able to buy a firearm.

Ryan responded by calling the protest "nothing more than a publicity stunt" and adding, "This is not about a solution to a problem. This is about trying to get attention."

On Thursday, Grayson indicated that a similar demonstration could be held when the House returns on July 5.

"I'm not gonna even pretend to speak for anybody else," he said. "But I'll tell you that I believe we need to pick up where we left off when we get back and make sure that we take concrete action in order to be able to protect the American people."

Grayson lifted Donald Trump's campaign slogan to argue that it was currently too easy for someone bent on a mass attack like the one in Orlando earlier this month to buy the weaponry necessary to make it happen.

"We need to change that to make people safe again," he said, adding, "Let's make America safe again."

Watch the interview, as posted online on Thursday, below.