Senator Chris Murphy has launched a filibuster on guns, assisted by Senators Bill Nelson and other Democrats.
Here's how he began it:
“This is a different moment today than it was at the end of last week,” Murphy said. “There is a newfound imperative for this body to find a way to come together and take action, to try to do our part to stem this epidemic of gun violence and in particular this epidemic of mass shootings.”
“There is a fundamental disconnect with the American people when these
tragedies continue to occur and we just move forward with business as usual,” he continued. “So I’m going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together on these two measures, that we can get a path forward on addressing this epidemic in a meaningful bipartisan way.”
Watch the live stream above.
Update:
In an emotional speech about Dykan Hockley, one of the children of Sandy Hook and his special education teacher, Senator Murphy ended his filibuster after 14 hours, 50 minutes.
It was effective.
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
Thank you, Senator Murphy and Senate Democrats for taking the time to do more than offer "thoughts and prayers." It's a start.