Senate Democrats are pledging to bring business as usual in Congress to a screeching halt unless something is done about gun laws in the United States.
Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) launched a filibuster this morning, and before he did so, took to Twitter this morning to declare that:
I am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can. I've had #Enough
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 15, 2016
Just four years ago, Connecticut experienced its own devastating mass shooting of 20 school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, and Murphy referenced that terrible shooting during his remarks this morning:
“For those of us that represent Connecticut, the failure of this body to do anything, anything at all in the face of that continued slaughter isn’t just painful to us, it’s unconscionable … I can’t tell you how hard it is to look into the eyes of the family of those little boys and girls who were killed in Sandy Hook and tell them that almost four years later, we have done nothing, nothing at all to reduce the likelihood that that will happen again to another family.”
Fellow Senate Democrats are responding to Murphy’s call to action, and, according to NPR, some signed up for slots as late as 10:30 p.m. EST to speak, which means it could take awhile.
The aim of the Senate Democrats is to push the passing of bills that institute universal background checks, and ban suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms.
The speeches are blocking consideration of an appropriations bill, which authorizes the government to spend money.
You can watch a live stream of the filibuster here:
When live stream ends, see a video of the filibuster here:
Feature Image: Screenshot Via Youtube.
