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Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut who once held a 15-hour Senate debate on the need for tougher gun laws in the United States, returned there Tuesday night to ask his colleagues to find a way to put politics aside and working together to stop the carnage of mass shootings.
Murphy was at the House in 2012 when a shooting occurred in his neighborhood, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 6- and 7-year-old children and six adults were killed. Now, a decade later, another gunman entered elementary school and killed 18 young children and three adults in Uwalde, Texas.
“What are we doing?” Murphy said in a raised voice. “Why are we here, if not to try to make fewer schools and fewer communities go through what Sandy Hook went through, what Uwalde is going through. … I am here on this floor to beg to literally fall to my knees and beg my colleagues: Find your way forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely. “
Photos: The scene after the deadly shooting at a Texas elementary school
The aftermath of Sandy Hook was the closest congress in a decade to any major changes to national gun laws, but when the Senate voted on a modest bill to step up inspections, only four Republicans voted in favor, while four Democrats , none of whom is still serving, voted against. Since then, there has been only frustration and anger after mass shootings in places of worship, shops, concerts, nightclubs, yoga studios and schools, leading many to fear that every point in the United States may be next.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D Describing the shooting as an “existential crisis,” Pelosi tweeted, urging senators to finally pass “the party’s health, health-saving legislation passed by law.”
House Speaker Minority Leader Steni H. Hoyer (D-Md.) Summed up the shock and anger experienced by Democrats against their Republican counterparts, noting that legislation passed by the House last year was sinking in the Senate.
“How many more times will Senate Republicans express outrage at horrific shootings like the one in Uwalde, Texas today, and then block meaningful, bipartisan past verification legislation backed by nine out of ten Americans and the most responsible gun owners?” he said in a statement. “How many more times?”
From Sandy Hook to Buffalo and Uwalde: Ten years of gun control failure
Democrats in the House of Representatives passed two bills in March 2021 to strengthen gun laws in the country by closing what they see as loopholes and expanding checks on gun buyers. If passed, a bill would tighten inspection rules to prevent arms sales from continuing if the inspection is not completed after three days.
The Charleston Gate Act, named after the 2015 South Carolina massacre, will extend the review period to 20 days. A separate bill would require background checks to close the so-called “arms show loophole”, which allows buyers to opt out of a search if they buy a weapon at a gun show or online.
Both bills were passed by an overwhelming majority with the support of Democrats, but were never passed in the 50-to-50 Senate, where 10 Republicans will be needed to send the legislation to the president’s office.
Twitter users revived a tweet from Tony Gonzalez (R-Tex.) Representing Uwalde, in which the congressman boasted that he had voted against the two bills, noting in the tweet that he remained “a proud supporter of the Second Amendment and will do my best.” to oppose the grabbing of weapons from the far left. “
Gonzalez on Tuesday added his voice to people from lawmakers from both parties, who immediately shared statements of horror and sadness over the shooting.
“As we learn more about today’s events in Uwalde, I am heartbroken for our community in South Texas. It is devastating when our innocent children become victims of senseless violence. We are ruined, “he tweeted.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) Said on Twitter that he was “completely worried and heartbroken”, that he was “rising up in prayer” for the community and that there had been “too many of these shootings”. Cruz, as well as former President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right), are due to speak Friday at the annual meeting of the National Arms Association in Houston, about 275 miles from Uwalde.
Cruel’s fierce critics responded angrily on Twitter, including Ruben Galego (D-Ariz.), Who wrote: “Just to be clear, fuck you @tedcruz, the fucking baby killer.”
Many lawmakers noted that the country is still hesitant about an attack on the black community in Buffalo a week ago, which killed 10 people in a supermarket. Following this apparently racially motivated attack, Democrats have privately acknowledged that changes to gun laws will only stop in the Senate. Instead, they seek to quickly monitor a bill that will expand the ability of federal agencies to track and analyze all activities related to domestic terrorism, including white-dominated groups.
After making changes to reassure Liberals who have expressed concern, the House of Representatives passed legislation last Wednesday with strong support from Democrats. The bill will be in the Senate on Thursday, but it is unlikely to get the support of 10 Republicans needed to combat fraud.
“I am sick and angry. I am angry that ANOTHER pointless shooting at school has left at least 15 families without their loved ones – including 14 precious, innocent children and a dedicated educator – just days after 10 people were killed in Buffalo, “tweeted the CA spokesman Dutch Ruppersberger (D -Md.). “For my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: your thoughts and prayers alone are enough. We need action NOW. ”
When gun laws fail to stop mass shooting
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) – who was involved in recent significant efforts to draft federal legislation in response to mass gun violence after several mass shootings in the summer of 2019 – said there were “threads of hope”. that the deal could be hit.
“I relive the pain and grief we experienced in this parking lot when we saw parents who knew they would never see a 5- or 6-year-old again and never have that child to hug or kiss again,” he said. he said, referring to Sandy Hook. “I don’t know how you can see this happen and not feel, ‘I have to do something.'”
Negotiations in 2019 focused on a potential red flag law, also known as high-risk protection orders, which would allow authorities to keep weapons away from people thought to pose a threat.
Senator Tom Tillis (RN.C.) questioned the idea that Congress had a duty to do something, especially with little-known facts about the Uwalde shooting.
“I don’t think you’ll find much in the recordings that this 18-year-old was affected in any way by the actions or inaction of Congress,” he said.
Tillis said he was skeptical of red flag laws, saying “virtually everyone I’ve seen here has swept away law-abiding gun owners.” [in] what I consider excessive, “he said.
Blumenthal rejected the idea that any piece of legislation should be tailored to the circumstances of each particular shooting.
“There is no single panacea here. There is no way to compare one massacre with another. The point is that we know that the combination or one of these actions will save lives, “he said, adding:” There is no excuse for inaction. In fact, inaction is complicity if my Republicans fail to place their votes where their thoughts and prayers are.
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