Democratic Senator Wages Nearly 15-Hour Filibuster On Gun Control
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Democratic senator from Connecticut frustrated with congressional inaction on gun violence led a nearly 15-hour Senate filibuster before yielding the floor early Thursday, making a pledge that he and his colleagues would press aggressively for more gun control.
Saying "we have had enough," Sen. Chris Murphy stood on the Senate floor vowing to remain there "until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together.''
He yielded the floor at 2:11 a.m., saying he had won commitments from Republican leaders to hold votes on amendments to expand background checks for firearms sold at gun shows and online retailers and ban gun sales to suspected terrorists.
"We're going to work today to make sure we have those commitments to bring these votes before the body," Murphy told "CBS This Morning" on Thursday. "It would be much better to be able to get a bipartisan agreement on this issue of keeping guns away from terrorists, but at the very least, we need to have a vote."
This is one step. The fight is far from over. But there are millions of voices calling for change. And we cannot stop pushing #Enough
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016
Democrats have revived the gun debate after 49 people died in the shooting in Orlando early Sunday.
Authorities said the gunman, Omar Mateen, was investigated twice by the FBI and had been on the government's terrorist watch list for 10 months before being removed.
"The American public agrees with us that if you're on a terrorist watch list and you are not allowed to fly on a plane, you certainly shouldn't be able to buy a dangerous assault weapon," Murphy said Thursday.
During the filibuster, Murphy spoke of the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school in his state and said the failure by Congress to do anything about gun violence has been "unconscionable.''
"It is devastating to the families who live through this trauma to watch the United States Senate do nothing, absolutely nothing week after week," he said in the Senate floor. "What I have not understood is why we don't even attempt to find common ground on this floor."
And in one of the most poignant moments, Murphy spoke about one of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
"It takes courage to look into the eye of a shooter," Murphy said. "Instead of running, wrapping your arms around a 6-year-old boy and accepting death as a trade for just a tiny, itty, bitty piece of increased peace of mind for a little boy under your charge."
The surprise filibuster was the eighth longest in U.S. history, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported. At least 40 other senators joined Murphy, including Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
"This body is shameful in its obeisance to the hard right of the gun lobby," Schumer said.
"Is this slaughter not a wake up call?" Gillibrand said. "Is it not enough to convince us to act? Where is our spine?"
Senate rules required Murphy to stand on the floor the entire time to keep control, CBS New reported. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker also stood in solidarity.
"When you attack one American, you attack us all," Booker said.
On Wednesday, the National Rifle Association issued a statement, saying, "The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period."
"Anyone on a terror watch list who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing," the statement said.
Murphy said even though the FBI is notified when someone on a terror watch list buys a gun, more must be done.
"There's an alert sent, but there's no prohibition on that individual walking out of the store with a weapon," he said Thursday.
Republicans have their own measure to stop suspected terrorists from buying guns, but it would require police to go through the courts, an extra step they say will insure no one with a right to a gun gets denied.
"Nobody wants terrorists to have firearms," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). "We're open to serious suggestions."
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham said he spoke with California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein Wednesday, who authored a bill that failed last year.
"I think there is a way to protect the Second Amendment rights of people who are wrongfully accused through the legal process," he said.
Stopping people on terror watch lists from buying guns is also something Long Island Republican Rep. Peter King supports.
"It makes absolute common sense," he said. "If you're on the terrorist watch list, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun. If you believe you're on the list improperly, we have a procedure to get your name taken off the list."
Leah Barrett, of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, believes the country is almost at a tipping point after Sandy Hook, San Bernardino and other recent mass shootings, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"I think this filibuster is a way of shining the spotlight on these cowards in Washington," Barrett said.
The NRA says many are using Orlando to push an anti-gun agenda, blaming law-abiding gun owners rather than make President Barack Obama answer for what they say are his failures in the global war on terror.
McConnell called the filibuster a campaign "talk-a-thon" and said the president needs to lay out a credible plan to defeat ISIS.
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