Conn. Senators Seize Spending Bill Debate, Filibuster Over Gun Control Into 12th Hour
Democrats are seeking a vote on legislation that bans the sale of guns to people suspected of being terrorists
By Danielle Abreu ••
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy launched a talking filibuster before noon Wednesday, saying he intended to give an extended speech to protest inaction on gun violence.
He was still speaking 12 hours later, having received help from many of his Democratic colleagues hoping to offer gun amendments to a spending bill that funds federal law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice, being debated in the Senate.
Murphy is holding up action, saying Democrats and Republicans should "not proceed with debate on amendments to this bill until we have figured out a way to come together on, at the very least, two simple ideas.”
"I will remain on the Senate floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together," Murphy said as he evoked the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.
Murphy began speaking at 11:21 a.m., and by Senate rules, he has to stand at his desk to maintain control of the floor. When asked by another senator how he was feeling just before 7:30 p.m., Murphy said rehabilitation from a back injury in his 20s had helped him build up endurance. The senator didn't make note of hitting the 12-hour mark.
Murphy is seeking a vote on legislation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would let the government bar sales of guns and explosives to people it suspects of being terrorists. Feinstein offered the amendment in December — a day after an extremist couple killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California — but the Republican-run Senate rejected the proposal on a near party-line vote.
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Nicole Edwards and her wife Kellie Edwards observe a moment of silence during a vigil outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the mass shooting victims at the Pulse nightclub June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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People hold candles during an evening memorial service for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings, at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, June 13, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history.
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Demetrice Naulings cries while recalling how he survived the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub that claimed the life of his friend Eddie Justice, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. "I'm not going to get a chance to get another friend like," said Naulings. "Eddie was my angel."
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Angel Colon, a victim of the Pulse nightclub shooting, is kissed by his sister while attending a news conference at the Orlando Regional Medical Center, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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Orlando, second from right, and his family attend a vigil and church service held at Joy Metropolitan Community Church near the Pulse nightclub. Orlando, who declined to give his last name, was at Pulse, trapped for three hours in a bathroom.
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David Rivera holds a rainbow flag at the site of a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting, June 12, 2016, in Atlanta. The vigil was organized by members of the city's large LGBT community.
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A man attends a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, at Newtown Neighbourhood Centre on June 13, 2016, in Sydney, Australia.
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Family members wait for word from police after arriving down the street from a shooting involving multiple fatalities at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida,, June 12, 2016.
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Bomb disposal officers check for bombs at an apartment complex possibly linked to the fatal shootings at an Orlando nightclub, June 12, 2016, in Fort Pierce, Florida.
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Angel Mendez, standing outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center, holds up a cell phone photo trying to get information about his brother Jean C. Mendez that was at the Pulse Nightclub where a shooting involving multiple fatalities occurred, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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A police officer stands guard outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center hospital after a fatal shooting at a nearby Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
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An injured man is escorted out of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting rampage, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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Donors lineup to donate blood following a mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub.
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People wait outside the emergency entrance of the Orlando Regional Medical Center hospital after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
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Emergency personnel wait with stretchers at the emergency entrance to Orlando Regional Medical Center hospital for the arrival of patients from the scene of a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
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Terry DeCarlo, executive director of the LGBT Center of Central Florida, center, is comforted by Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, right, after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
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President Barack Obama arrives to make a statement on the mass shooting at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, DC on June 12, 2016.
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, second from right, and Orlando Police Chief John Mina arrive to a news conference after a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
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Jermaine Towns, left, and Brandon Shuford wait down the street from a multiple shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016. Towns said his brother was in the club at the time.
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Orlando police officers are seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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FBI assistant special agent in charge Ron Hopper, center, answers questions from members of the media after a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016. Listening are Orlando Police Chief John Mina, left, and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.
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An Orange County Sheriff's Department SWAT member arrives to the scene of a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Sunday, June 12, 2016.
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Members of the Orlando City Fire Rescue seen around Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
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ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 12: FBI agents investigate near the damaged rear wall of the Pulse Nightclub where Omar Mateen allegedly killed at least 50 people on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The mass shooting killed at least 50 people and injuring 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the countryu00d5s history. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Bystanders wait down the street from a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016.
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Brandon Shuford, left, waits down the street from the scene of a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Attempts at compromise appeared to collapse within hours of surfacing in the Senate Wednesday, underscoring the extreme difficulty of resolving the divisive issue five months to the election. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who had been involved in talks with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said there was no resolution.
The Orlando shooter was added to a government watch list of individuals known or suspected of being involved in terrorist activities in 2013, when he was investigated for inflammatory statements to co-workers. But he was pulled from that database when that investigation was closed 10 months later.
Murphy also wants a vote to expand background checks.
Joining him on the Senate floor is fellow Conn. Democrat, Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The two senators, galvanized by the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in their state, urged a ban on assault weapons and better controls on who can buy guns.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker joined Murphy and Blumenthal, stressing the need for such gun control measures, particularly in light of Sunday's shooting in Orlando that left 49 victims dead and 53 injured.
"I've cleared my entire day...so I can stay on this floor and assist Senator Murphy," Booker said.
The former mayor of Newark said many senators who will take to the floor Wednesday in support of Murphy's filibustering effort have the word "enough" in their hearts.
"What we're seeking is not radical. What we're seeking is not something partisan. What we're seeking is common sense," Booker said in an impassioned speech.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer chastised the Senate, calling the legislative chamber a "shameful" body in "it's obedience to the gun lobby and not doing the most reasonable things most Americans support."
In a statement Wednesday, the National Rifle Association said it did not believe terrorists should be allowed to "purchase or posses firearms." But noted that "at the same time, due process protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watchlist to be removed."
The pro-gun lobbying group has been accused of influencing lawmakers from passing such restrictions on firearm purchases, arguing that using a terror watch list as a basis for barring sales infringes on Second Amendment rights.
The election-year fight over gun control pits strong proponents of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms against lawmakers arguing for greater restrictions on the ability to obtain weapons. Since the Sunday morning shooting in Orlando, Democrats have revived their push for legislation.
