The two OR senators used their time on the floor to urge Congress to curb gun violence. Himes tweeted a selfie with Rep. Joe Courtney (D-2nd) earlier today saying they were on their way to the Senate to support Murphy “in his gun safety filibuster”. He said discussions “were little more than a smokescreen by Republicans trying to give themselves political cover while they continue to march in lock-step with the NRA’s extreme positions”.
Advertisement
As noon approached, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told reporters. The Senator asserted that he was concerned that the previous legislation made it too hard for someone put on the list in error to be allowed to purchase a gun.
Both measures were introduced in 2015 and failed following the San Bernardino, California, shooting.
Murphy’s attempt to pressure Republicans with his non-stop soliloquy comes three days after a gunman shot and killed 49 people in Orlando with an assault rifle.
Pennsylvania House Republicans chide Sen.
The negotiations are happening more quietly than the Democrats’ shenanigans on the floor. Sen. Unlike typical filibusters, this move is not meant to prevent a bill from passing but rather to force action and guarantee it passes with additional gun control measures. “That loophole must be closed”.
Murphy began speaking at 11:21 a.m.
Murphy, who represents CT – where the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown occurred – wants the Senate to pass two measures to help reduce gun violence.
Senator Murphy said late Wednesday night, as the filibuster was in its 12th hour, that Feinstein’s amendment “addressed the concerns that Republicans have raised” and only stops those on the terrorist watch list and stops the sale of guns to criminals. That would be enough to cover Mateen, who was removed from the watch list in 2014.
A Toomey spokesman said that the Bloomberg-backed organization had promised to back the proposal “so long as we generated bipartisan support”.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker tweeted that he was “grateful to stand” with Murphy.
Toomey’s proposal would also create a court appeals process for people who were denied gun purchases because their names were on the suspected terrorist list.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is not up for reelection until 2020, criticized the Cornyn measure – which she supported previous year – as insufficiently strong, saying that it “doesn’t do the job” and expressing hope for a more limited version of Feinstein’s measure. And through all of the shouting, we missed what should be obvious: “It was a terrorist with a gun that killed all those people, a terrorist with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand that killed all those people”.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Tuesday that Sen.
Murphy is seeking a vote on legislation from Feinstein that would let the government bar sales of guns and explosives to people it suspects of being terrorists.
Advertisement
“Americans want to know why anybody would vote to allow individuals suspected of terrorist ties and motivations to purchase regulated firearms”.
