After the deadly shooting tragedy that took place in Orlando, many legislators are trying to figure out ways to deal with the issue of gun control in America. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has been a major gun control advocate since the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School and proved to the country that he had had “enough”. With a move that shocked even some of his fellow democratic legislators, Senator Murphy took over the senate floor.

Here’s a recap of what happened in the 15-hour filibuster.

1.Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pulled a Mellie Grant.

Murphy took over the senate floor at 11:21 am Wednesday morning. If you’ve watched Scandal then you remember when Mellie Grant took over the senate floor for women’s rights and was willing to keep people there all night to hold up “business as usual”. Well, that’s what Senator Murphy did, along with help from other Democratic Senators. They prolonged speeches that prevented progress on other matters before the Senate.

2. The conversation went beyond the senate floor.

3. 38 senators joined Murphy in his efforts to discuss gun control including Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).

4. They took to the senate floor to pressure Republicans to accept legislation that would deny suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms and require universal background checks.

5. Both proposals have gotten a lot of pushback from Republicans who are concerned about passing gun control laws that would fail to provide people with due process protections..

Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) has stated that he and his colleagues are open to these proposals if due process protections are in place and individuals can appeal their names on a ban list.

6. Not everyone was pleased with the acts of Senator Murphy and the Democrats.

Don Stewart, the spokesperson for Senator McConnell, criticized Murphy’s attempts and accused the democrats of tying up the floor and delaying legislative actions on guns and other issues.

7. This is not the first time these proposals have been on the table.

The senate voted them both down in December after the shooting in San Bernardino, California. NO votes were scheduled Wednesday.

8. Both presidential candidates weighed in on the filibuster and gun control issue via Twitter.

9. During the filibuster, behind closed doors, senators from both sides tried to find a common ground on preventing suspected terrorists from buying guns.

The Republicans and Democrats have different approaches on how to deal with individuals wrongly put on the list and can’t purchase a gun. This has been the continued point of contention even after the filibuster ended.

10. Senator Murphy concluded using a heartfelt message with a reminder of Sandy Hook.

 

11. The filibuster officially ended at 2:11 am.

Senate will now vote on the measures. However, until both parties can agree on how to implement these proposals in practice without hindering an individual’s constitutional right, both proposals could be shot down again.


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