This past Sunday, we all woke up to the news that another horrific hate crime had occurred — this time at a nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were killed by a domestic terrorist wielding an assault rifle. People everywhere have responded to this in many ways, but Democratic Senator Christopher Murphy said it best with #EnoughIsEnough.
Wednesday, in an effort to try to pressure Republicans to come to their senses and accept logical legislation that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms, Senator Murphy launched a filibuster on the Senate floor, which fellow Democrats quickly joined.
Senator Elizabeth Warren was one of the first:
We can act to make the next shooting less likely. We can act to reduce the likelihood that a disturbed individual, a criminal, or a terrorist is again able to kill dozens, again, with a gun. And if we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then the members of this Congress will have blood on our hands.
While not taking away from the tragedy in Orlando, Senator Murphy closed his amazing, almost 15 hour day, reminding us of the Sandy Hook tragedy and one little boy’s story in particular.
So this has been a day of questions. And so I ask you all this question: If Anne Marie Murphy can do that, what can you do to make sure that Orlando or Sandy Hook never ever happens again?
And with that, he yielded the floor.
I’ve been watching the reactions for most of the night and now morning, and it’s clear that his enduring charge has led to a successful outcome. There will be a vote.
I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016
He went on to thank supporters:
This would never have happened without you. Without your outpouring of support- your calls, tweets & emails. Your deafening calls for action
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016
While his plan succeeded, there is still work to do. As he stated in his speech, “The fight is far from over.”
Featured image via screen capture
