{"id":3807,"date":"2016-06-17T13:27:13","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T18:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/?p=3807"},"modified":"2016-06-17T13:28:36","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T18:28:36","slug":"democrats-stage-historic-gun-control-filibuster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/democrats-stage-historic-gun-control-filibuster\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Stage Historic Gun-Control Filibuster"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"chris-murphy-filibuster.w529.h352\"<\/a>

Chris Murphy finally cedes the floor. Photo: Pete Marovich\/2016 Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

I heard a good piece this morning on WBEZ about there finally being a plausible answer to the NRA; read and\/or listen to that here<\/a>. \u00a0And my friend (and former NTDO Chair) Rick Klau<\/a> pointed people to this stand-up bit on guns that is at the same time side-splittingly funny and powerful<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below I’ve posted\u00a0a good story from Claire Landsbaum of New York magazine about the Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) filibuster Wednesday that finally got the GOP Senate to allow votes on some common-sense gun violence bills. \u00a0(Here’s one more on the same from TPM<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

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After 15-Hour Filibuster, Republicans to Allow Votes on Gun-Control Measures<\/a><\/h2>\n

By Claire Landsbaum<\/a><\/p>\n

This week has been, if not productive, certainly a chaotic one for members of Congress. After a lone gunman opened fire<\/a> at a gay club in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding 53, Democrats are demanding action on gun control, and early this week, Republicans showed no signs they were ready to comply. Indeed, House Speaker Paul Ryan steamrolled<\/a> through protests on Monday when, after holding a moment of silence for the victims, Democrats shouted, “Where’s the bill?”<\/p>\n

So, on Wednesday morning, at 11:21 a.m., Connecticut senator Chris Murphy launched an unexpected filibuster on the Senate floor to force a debate on gun control.\u00a0\u201cI am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can,\u201d Murphy tweeted at the outset. Throughout the day, he was joined on the floor by dozens of lawmakers (most of them Democrats), and when it ended just after 2 a.m. EST, Murphy’s filibuster had\u00a0become<\/a>\u00a0the eighth-longest in history.<\/p>\n

Murphy and the various senators he called to the floor were pushing for a vote on two gun-control amendments. One, which was written jointly by Republican senator Pat Toomey and West Virginia senator Joe Manchin,\u00a0requires criminal mental-health background checks at gun shows and for online gun sales \u2014 two “loophole” areas where potential buyers have historically been able to avoid scrutiny.<\/p>\n

The other is a proposal by California senator Dianne Feinstein that would allow the attorney general to prevent potential terrorists from purchasing guns. During the filibuster, Murphy said that these two policies were chosen not only because they would make a difference in the number of mass shootings perpetrated in America, but because they have the most bipartisan support.<\/p>\n

“Having come through the experience of Newtown, I’ve had enough,” he told the Senate. “It’s been four years, and nothing has been done.”<\/p>\n

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Democrats Senate #filibuster<\/a> – @ChrisMurphyCT<\/a> “I’m prepared to stand on this floor…for frankly as long as I can.” https:\/\/t.co\/RjUlVcw10D<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mohamed Hemish (@MohamedHemish) June 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n