It ended in the wee hours of the morning. We are proud of all the senators who joined.
by Phil Helsel and Richie Duchon
Senate Democrats ended a nearly 15-hour filibuster early Thursday after Republican Party leaders reportedly agreed to allow votes on two proposed gun control measures.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said that a compromise had been reached. Votes would be held on whether to ban people on the government’s terrorist watch list from obtaining gun licenses and whether to expand background checks to gun shows and internet sales, he added.
“We did not have that commitment when we started today,” Murphy said.
The nonstop series of speeches stretched 14 hours and 50 minutes. It followed the shooting massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
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Here is an updated list of participating senators.
Curbing gun sales will not prevent another Oklahoma City, Boston Marathon bombing, or 9/11 but can help prevent the next Orlando, Sandy Hook, Charleston, or Colorado Springs. Trump, McCain, Cruz and other Republicans insist the focus should be on terrorism rather than guns. Arguably, any attack using assault weapons can be called terrorism, but it is possible ISIS was only the latest convenient excuse for this shooter and banning people from coming here would not have prevented this tragedy. This afternoon, CNN reported this story originally an exclusive to TMZ. Apparently it checks out. He could not buy a gun in fifth grade, so that didn’t happen, but there were warnings.
It also should be lost on no one that there were 50 shooting victims in Orlando over the weekend. Christina Grimmie’s murder was quickly eclipsed by the larger massacre – and that could have been a much worse situation had her brother not tackled the shooter. These problems cannot be addressed with a wall or by banning people, as Hillary Clinton tirelessly points out.
So thank you Senator Murphy, all the senators listed above, and Hillary Clinton for shining light on a realistic solution.
Sign the thank you note to the senators here >>>>
Email from Senator Murphy:
I was the Congressman from Newtown, Connecticut when tragedy struck Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012. As long as I live, I’ll never forget the scene at the firehouse when twenty-six families were told they would not be reunited with their children and loved ones.
For years, Congress has failed those families and the victims of gun violence all across the country.
That is why yesterday, starting at 11:21 a.m., I decided to stand on the Senate floor and talk for as long as I could about the need to prevent gun violence. And with the help of more than 30 of my colleagues, we demanded immediate action to make our communities safer from gun violence:
I can tell you that as the hours progressed, my colleagues heard your calls for change grow louder and louder. And after almost fifteen hours of filibustering, I was proud to be able to announce that Republicans had agreed to our demand for a vote on legislation that would keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists and require comprehensive background checks for gun purchases.
That is just one step, and our fight is far from over. But there are millions of voices out there who believe like we do that now is the time for action. And if we keep making ourselves heard, we will save lives.
Add your voice to Hillary Clinton’s and mine to demand Congress take immediate action to make our communities safer from gun violence:
Whether it’s shootings fueled by racism, rage against women, homophobia, extremist ideologies, or severe mental illness, I shudder to think what it says about us as a nation if we don’t even attempt to make a good faith effort to end this carnage. We need to re-think whether or not that’s something we are willing to allow. And like President Obama said on Sunday, doing nothing is a choice, too.
So I am going to stand with Hillary Clinton and continue this fight until Congress has done everything it can to make our communities safer from gun violence.
Thank you for adding your voice to ours.
Chris Murphy
U.S. Senator, Connecticut
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Our thoughts and prayers are not enough.
© Matt McClain/The Washington Post Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrives at the Capital Hilton last week, his Secret Service detail in tow, to meet with rival and presumptive nominee…
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