Paul Ryan receiving recommendations from House sergeant-at-arms on how to address Democratic 'sit-in'

House Speaker Paul Ryan said on a Thursday GOP conference call that House leadership is talking with the body's sergeant-at-arms and parliamentarians to review options on how to address last week's Democratic "sit-in," a source on the call told Business Insider.

Ryan said leadership continued to gather facts and evaluate options. He stressed it would be a thorough review, the source said.

The source added that Republicans will take any action deemed necessary.

House Democrats caused a stir on the lower chamber's floor last week when they held a 25-hour sit-in demanding a vote on gun-control legislation. Ryan refused to give in to their demands, but said on the Thursday call that he would bring some gun measures to the floor next week, according to the source.

The chairman of the House Rules Committee said Sunday that the Democrats who staged the unprecedented sit-in should be "held accountable" for their actions.

"There was a complete lack of [respect] and I believe what they did is not only wrong but that they should be held accountable through an ethics process for that," Texas Rep. Pete Sessions said.

He added: "If I were in a position I would move the case for us to ethically under ethics rules to hold people accountable."

Speaking of the protest at the weekly House leadership briefing, Ryan characterized the incident as a "publicity stunt" aimed at helping Democrats fundraise. He said Democrats had allowed the House to descend into "chaos" and argued that it "sets a very dangerous precedent."

"One of the things that makes our country strong is our institutions," Ryan said. "No matter how bad things get in this country, we have a basic structure that ensures a functioning democracy. We can disagree on policy. But we do so within the bounds of order and respect for the system. Otherwise, it all falls apart."