- Murphy said current talks on gun reform do not include a ban on assault weapons or extended fund controls.
- The talks have come as the nation continues to struggle with the aftermath of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.
- “We’re not going to do everything I want,” the Connecticut lawmaker said about a possible Senate bill.
Loading Something is loading.
Senator Chris Murphy, who is playing a major role in drafting a bipartisan gun reform bill after the deadly mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, said the potential legislation stemmed from the talks. current will not include a ban on assault weapons or a background “full” checks.
Murphy, in an interview with CNN’s State of the Union, told host Jake Tapper that a bipartisan contingent of senators met Saturday with the group looking to increase funding for mental health measures. additional security for schools and “modest” gun control regulations. as part of a package that could go through the upper chamber.
“We’re not going to do everything I want,” the Connecticut Democrat said about a possible Senate bill.
He added: “We will not put a law on the table that will ban assault weapons, or we will not pass thorough background checks. But right now, the people of this country want us to move forward. They just do not want the status quo to continue. for another 30 years. “
As it stands today, bipartisan reform may include more restricted background checks, a provision that does not go as far as many gun control advocates would prefer, but would be the kind of compromise that could help a potential bill to overcome a legislative obstruction.
Murphy described the talks as the most fruitful he has witnessed since joining the Senate in 2013.
“I have never been involved in negotiations as serious as these,” he said. “There are more Republicans at the table talking about changing our gun laws and investing in mental health than at any other time since Sandy Hook.”
However, understanding the political reality of an equally divided Senate, Murphy said the talks could be broken.
“I’ve also been part of a lot of failed negotiations in the past, so I’m sober about our chances,” he said. “I’m more confident than ever that we’ll get there, but I’m also more worried about failure this time around.”
The senator, who as a member of the House in 2012 represented Newtown, the site of the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 children and six adults were killed by a 20-year-old gunman, has become a of the most outstanding. advocates of gun control in the Senate.
Last year, after a mass shooting at Oxford High School in the suburbs of Detroit, Murphy called for some sort of gun reform, even saying he would “comply” with very far-reaching legislation. smaller than I wanted.
Immediately after Uvalde’s shooting last month, Murphy again called on his colleagues to work with him on arms reform measures and lamented past legislative inaction.
“What are we doing? What are we doing? A few days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to kill African-American customers, we have another Sandy Hook in our hands,” he said during a speech in the Senate.
Loading Something is loading.