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Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who once made a 15-hour obstinacy in the Senate over the need for stricter gun laws in the United States, returned there Tuesday night to beg his colleagues to find a way to put politics aside. and we work together to stop the carnage of mass shootings.
Murphy was in the House in 2012 when a shooting took place in his district at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 children ages 6 and 7 and six adults died. Now, a decade later, another gunman had entered a primary school and killed 14 young children and a teacher in Uvalde, Tex.
“What are we doing?” Murphy said aloud. “Why are we here if not to try to make sure fewer schools and few communities go through what Sandy Hook has gone through, what Uvalde is going through.… I’m here on this floor to beg, literally to get on my knees and “Kneel and beg my colleagues. Find a way forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make it less likely.”
The consequences of Sandy Hook were what Congress has come closest to over the past decade to pass significant changes to the nation’s gun laws, but when a modest bill to strengthen background checks went being voted in the Senate, only four Republicans voted in favor. while four Democrats, none of whom still militate, voted against it. Since then, there has only been frustration and anger after mass shootings at places of worship, in shops, at a concert, at a nightclub, in a yoga studio, and in schools, making many fear that anywhere in the United States United could be next.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) accused Republicans of stealing the lives of young children, “who will never experience the joys of graduating from school, pursuing the career of their dreams, fall in love, even start a family of your own. ” Pelosi described the shooting as “a crisis of existential proportions”, in a tweet, Pelosi called on senators to finally pass the “bipartisan, common sense and life-saving law” passed by the House.
House Minority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) Encapsulated the shock and anger Democrats felt toward his Republican counterparts, and also noted that legislation passed in the House last year he had been languishing in the Senate.
“How many more times will Republicans in the Senate express outrage over horrific shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas today, and then block significant, bipartisan background check legislation with the backing of nine out of ten Americans and homeowners? more responsible weapons? ” he said in a statement. “How many more times?”
House Democrats passed two bills in March 2021 to strengthen the country’s gun laws by closing what they see as loopholes and expanding background checks for gun buyers. If passed, a bill would have tightened background check rules to stop allowing arms sales to continue if the check is not completed after three days.
The Charleston Loophole legislation, named after the 2015 massacre in South Carolina, would extend the review period to 20 days. A separate bill would have required background checks to close what is known as the “gun display gap,” which allows shoppers to drop a review if they buy a gun at a gun show or online. .
Both bills were passed by a majority with Democratic support, but were never accepted in a 50-50 Senate, where 10 Republicans would be needed to send the legislation to the president’s desk.
Twitter users resurrected a tweet from MP Tony Gonzales (R-Tex.), Representing Uvalde, in which the congressman boasted of voting against the two bills, noting in the tweet that it was still a proud supporter of the Second Amendment and will do so. do everything possible to oppose the seizure of weapons from the far left. “
Gonzales on Tuesday added his voice to the hearts of lawmakers on both sides who immediately shared statements of horror and sadness over the shooting.
“As we learn more about today’s events in Uvalde, I am heartbroken by our South Texas community. It is devastating when our innocent children fall victim to senseless violence. We are devastated,” he tweeted. .
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) Said on Twitter that he was “completely sick and heartbroken,” that he was “getting up in prayer” for the community, and that “there had been too many of these shootings.” Cruz, along with former President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right), are scheduled to speak Friday at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston, about 275 miles from Uvalde.
Furious critics of Cruz tweeted angrily, including Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Who wrote, “Just to be clear, fuck @tedcruz, fuck baby killer.”
Many lawmakers noted that the country was still recovering from an attack on a black community in Buffalo a week ago that killed 10 people in a supermarket. After that seemingly racial attack, Democrats privately acknowledged that changes to gun laws would only stop in the Senate. Instead, they set out to speed up a bill that would expand the ability of federal agencies to track and analyze any internal terrorist activity, including white supremacy groups.
After making changes to appease the Liberals who expressed concerns, the House passed legislation last Wednesday with overwhelming Democratic support. The legislation will be tabled in the Senate on Thursday, but is unlikely to get the support of 10 Republicans needed to overcome a deadlock.
“I am sick and angry. I am furious that ANOTHER senseless school shooting has left at least 15 families without their loved ones, including 14 beautiful and innocent children and a dedicated educator, just days after 10 people were killed in Buffalo,” he said. tweet the CA Dutch Ruppersberger representative (D-Md.). “To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: we’ve had enough of your simple thoughts and prayers. We need action NOW.”