The two sides nearly came to blows overnight as a Republican lawmaker approached the Democrats and cried: "Radical Islam!"
Democrats in the House of Representatives have ended a sit-in demanding action on gun control.
Lawmakers from President Barack Obama's party protested for more than 25 hours after they began occupying the podium area of the chamber on Wednesday morning.
They were demanding votes on bills to expand background checks on gun buyers and to prevent people on terrorism watch lists and no-fly lists from purchasing firearms.
Last week's mass shooting by an Islamic State sympathiser in Florida has reinvigorated calls for gun control in the US, but most Republicans, who hold majorities in Congress, oppose such legislation.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who called the highly unusual protest "a publicity stunt", was shouted down by Democrats as he gavelled the House into session late at night.
The rebellious lawmakers held photos of gun victims, along with their names, shouting: "No bill no break!"
Republicans adjourned the House and announced there would be no more votes until after the 4 July national holiday.
After the sit-in, a bipartisan gun control proposal by moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins received 52 votes, but not the 60 needed to advance.
Another measure, brought by Republican Senator Ron Johnson, which was designed to be more appealing to conservatives, picked up just 31 votes.
In the House, the two sides nearly came to blows overnight after Texas Republican Louie Gohmert approached the Democrats and shouted: "Radical Islam!"
Florida Democrat Corrine Brown began shouting back and the two had to be separated by colleagues as they came within inches of each other.
By 7:30am on Thursday around a dozen Democrats remained, some wrapped in blankets or resting on pillows, out of more than 200 lawmakers who joined the sit-in at its height.
Republicans cut off cameras in the House, but not-for-profit cable network C-SPAN stayed on air by broadcasting live Periscope and Facebook feeds from the sit-in.
A crowd of several hundred gun control advocates gathered outside the Capitol.
The demonstration was led by Georgia Representative John Lewis, who marched with Martin Luther King in the 1960s.
But the 12 June Orlando shooting, the deadliest in modern US history, has so far failed to rally bipartisan support to pass any gun control.
On Monday night, the Senate voted on four proposals, but they could not even agree to block gun sales to known terrorists.
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