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US Democratic Senators Stage Gun Control Filibuster

US democratic senators, led by Senator Chris Murphy, are conducting a filibuster in an attempt to force a vote on gun control legislation. This follows … Continue reading US Democratic Senators Stage Gun Control Filibuster


Chris Murphy, Filibuster, Gun Control

Chris Murphy, Filibuster, Gun ControlUS democratic senators, led by Senator Chris Murphy, are conducting a filibuster in an attempt to force a vote on gun control legislation.

This follows the shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 people dead.

Senator Chris Murphy began the filibuster which is prolonged speaking on the floor to interrupt other business and he was still standing several hours later, although addressing a largely empty chamber.

Murphy and other Democratic senators took turns demanding the Senate take up a variety of gun control measures, though it is not clear any of them would have the votes to pass.

He is from Connecticut where 26 people died in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

“I can’t tell you how hard it is to look into the eyes of the families of those little boys and girls who were killed in Sandy Hook and tell them that almost four years later, we’ve done nothing, nothing at all to reduce the likelihood that that will happen again to another family,” Murphy said.

“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,” he tweeted.

The move finally started yielding results as the Senate is set to eventually vote on a bill to implement universal background checks and bar suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms.

“This is one step. The fight is far from over,” Murphy again tweeted. “But there are millions of voices calling for change. And we cannot stop pushing.”

Meanwhile, the first wakes have been held for victims of the Orlando shooting.

It was the worst mass shooting in modern US history. Dozens of people remain in hospital, some in a critical condition.