People whose only crime was to want a place to be together. And one night in late june of 1969, the bars patrons fought back. The rioting continued intermittently for five nights, and it wasnt pretty. It reflected the demands of a group for equality, for the same chances that other americans have to be themselves. A few months after that, lgbt activists began planning for the first pride march. It was set for the following june to commemorate the stonewall uprising. The idea was to use that anniversary as an opportunity for the community to remind us all that they, too, are citizens, they, too, get to have some fun, and they, too, are entitled to the same dignity and respect as every other american. Over the years, the tradition expanded across this great nation, just as tolerance and acceptance expanded across this great nation. Pride both helped us move forward and showed us how far we have moved together. When terrible things like the orlando shooting happened, we face important choices, as a country, as individuals and as a community. When terrible things happen, we have to choose how we respond to it, and all of us will decide whether we are going to come together or splinter apart. We can become a country, a country that is defined by fear and hate, fear of each other, hatred of anyone who is different from ourselves. In the america of fear and hate, we will alienate and isolate entire communities, creating even more fear and hate and threatening further violence. We will fracture as a people, splintering off into separate groups, each fearing others, each seeking to serve only themselves. Soar we can make the choice to come together. We can choose that no community, no community of immigrants, no community of muslims, no community of young men is isolated in this country. We can do this knowing that when we embrace each other and build one people out of many, we become a stronger country, stronger because of the bonds of community prevent alienation, because the bonds of community make it harder to turn against each other and break us apart, stronger because the bonds of Community Mean people can get help before its too late. We cannot ignore the fact that this massacre targeted an lgbt club, and we should learn from that and from the message of pride. In orlando, an act of terrorism was also an act of hate visited upon people who came together in friendship and celebration. But the patrons at stonewall showed us the way. They gave birth to a movement that changed a nation. They beat back hate. They showed us that change is possible, change for the better is possible. They showed everyone that love can triumph over here and hate, that we can all come together, but boy, they showed us youve got to work for it. This is not an abstract idea. When it comes to our response to the tragedy in orlando, we are already beginning to see the splintering of america. One side shouts it was a gun that killed all those people. The other side shouts it wasnt a gun, it was a terrorist that killed all those people. And through all of the shouting, we missed what should be obvious. It was a terrorist with a gun that killed all those people, a terrorist with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand that killed all those people. It is time for us to acknowledge all of these truths and to come together to address them. First, we must take the threat of terrorism seriously. We must continue to stop the flow of money to terrorist groups and to work with our allies to stop the movement of terrorists and disrupt hubs of radicalization abroad. And here at home, we need to make sure that our Law Enforcement agencies have the resources they need, funding, training, equipment. But we also need to make sure we have the resources to analyze and counter radical propaganda. The war on terror is now fought online, and we need to put our best forces online to fight back. We need to work with people in our local communities, not isolate or demonize them to stop radicalization before it starts and to prevent tragedies before they occur and to show that nobody is kept out of the American Family because of how they look or talk or pray. Second, we must take the threat from guns seriously. Our nation is awash in the weapons of murder, and there are many things we can do to address that. We can ban rambostyle assault weapons. We can take these weapons of war off our streets. We can also close the terror gap. The f. B. I. Should have the authority to block gun sales to anyone they believe is a terrorist. If someone cannot get on an airplane because the f. B. I. Is concerned they might be plotting to do harm against americans, then they shouldnt be able to walk into a store and buy a rambostyle assault weapon. We believe we can close the background checks loophole. Anyone who cannot buy a gun because of a felony conviction or a Mental Illness should not be able to go to a gun show or go online and buy that same gun. We can act to make the next shooting less likely. We can act to reduce the likelihood that a disturbed individual, a criminal or a terrorist is again able to kill dozens with a gun. And if we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then members of this congress will have blood on our hands. But the truth is this is not just about congress. It is about all of us. We all have choices. We have choices about how were going to treat our neighbors and our fellow citizens, choices about what we do when someone is targeted at a coffee shop because of their background or their looks or their race, choices about how we react when a friend or a coworker, a son or a daughter tells us the truth about who they love, choices about how we treat our neighbors and fellow citizens, who dont look or talk or pray like we do. It is a scary world out there. We all know that. Terrorism mutates into new and more dangerous forms. Terrorists have easy access to assault weapons that put us all at risk, and hate, plain oldfashioned, naked, ugly hate still lurks in dark corners. It is a scary world, but america is strongest when we work together, and all of us will decide whether we come together or splinter apart. We can keep weapons out of those who would do us harm. We can make it harder for terrorism to take root in this country. We can drive the forces of hate out of our nation. We can build a stronger, more united america, and we can begin right here in the United States senate. We can begin right now. And with that, my question for the senator from connecticut is this do you believe it is time for the senate to act in the interests of the American People and finally pass these commonsense, widely supported proposals to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator from i thank the senator from massachusetts for those incredibly powerful words making clear what our moral obligation is. Our moral obligation is to witness a crisis happening at our feet and do something about it. Why have this job, one of the most powerful jobs in the world, if youre not going to exercise it, to try to protect americans from harm . And so our choice, my choice, the choice of senator blumenthal and senator booker is to say enough, enough of treating these Mass Shootings as if they are just part of the American Fabric and landscape, enough of accepting that 80 people will die every single day when there is no other country in the world in which this happens, enough of pretending like there isnt anything that we can do about it. And senator warren, you have outlined some basic commonsense bipartisan steps that we can take to make this better. You are so right. This is our choice. Theres only 100 of us. There is only 100 of us. We can make the collective decision to do something about it. I thank the senator, and i would yield to the senator from oregon for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Merkley i thank the senator from connecticut for yielding for a question. Mr. President , i begin my question by noting that the senator from connecticut and the senators from oregon have a Common Thread that runs between our two states. That Common Thread that runs between connecticut and oregon is that our two states have been the sites of two very Deadly School shootings. In sandy hook, connecticut, it was in mid december, 2012, when a madman armed for a war zone stormed into Sandy Hook Elementary School and began a murderous rampage. A rampage that ended with the death of six school staff and 20 little boys and girls, and not even three years later, a nightmare came to roseberg, oregon. Roseburg is a quiet little town in southern oregon. Its the town where i spent part of my childhood. Its the town where i went to first grade. Its the town where i learned to swim in the umpqua river. And as i said last october, if this can happen in roseburg, it can happen anywhere. But happen in roseburg it did. It was october 1, 2015. It was a beautiful autumn morning in the small town there on the College Campus we heard the sound of gunfire. A certain individual stormed into a classroom at Umpqua Community college with six guns, and in the space of just a couple minutes took nine lives, including his own. One of those lives he took was a cousin of mine, rebecca ann cairns. 18 years old. She had just graduated from South Umpqua High School the previous june. She was an avid hunter. She was a lover of four wheeling. And in the picture she posted online for graduation, she had a picture of her graduation cap and she was holding it, and it said on it and so the adventure begins. She was ready for the adventure of adulthood. She was ready for the adventure of going off to college. She was ready to explore the world. She was excited. She was a beautiful spirit, but her adventure ended so shortly after graduating from high school before she could really get started on the journey of the balance of life. Mr. President , our hearts break for sandy hook and our hearts break for roseburg, and our hearts break for all those who are afflicted day after day after day all across this country as victims of gun violence. And now our hearts break for orlando. The latest name to be added to a list that no town or city ever wants to join, and that occasion 49 innocent lives taken, 49 Young Americans full of hope and promise, 49 individuals each with their own story cut down because simply of who they are, whom they loved or whom they associated with. A hatefilled individual targeted a place that was a sanctuary for the Lgbt Community. He turned this place of solidarity and togetherness and love into a place of fear and divisiveness and hatred and bloodshed. This unthinkable carnage leaves congress, all of us here, all of us here in the senate, with a choice. Its a simple choice. We have two basic options. One option is to take some action that might diminish the odds of the next sandy hook or the next umpqua or next orlando or the next assault, the type of assaults that take day in and day out across this nation. The second option is to do nothing. Thats where we are, option one, take some action. Take some reasonable action. There is no perfect answer but there are substantial things that could make a difference, that wont make a difference in every case but will make a difference in some cases. Isnt that the situation with every law we consider, that theyll make a difference at least part of the time to avert a tragedy. Now, i come from a gun state. I come from a state, the beautiful state of oregon, the best state in the United States of america where people love to hunt. They love to target practice. They believe powerfully in the individual rights of the Second Amendment, but oregon is also a state where the citizens believe that we should not put guns into the hands of felons or those who are deeply mentally disturbed. And so it was in the year 2000 that measure five was put on the ballot as a Citizen Initiative and it passed overwhelmingly in the state of oregon to expand background checks to gun shows. The citizens did that in an initiative at the ballot. Its a state where our Legislature Took action just last year in senate bill 941, the oregon firearms safety act to close the craigslist loopho loophole. Where does this make so much sense . If you keep a terrorist from buying a gun at a gun shop, shouldnt you also keep that terrorist from buying a gun at a gun show . Shouldnt you also keep that terrorist from buying a gun out of the classifieds, the online classifieds, the craigslist classifieds . Yes. Of course, each piece of this makes sense to keep guns out of the hands of felons or those who are deeply mentally disturbed. In oregon, folks believe that people should buy their guns legally with the background check, and that that process shouldnt be averted through straw purchasers subverting the law by putting a different name than the name of the person whos actually acquiring the weapon. Hunters and target shooters in oregon know you dont need a military grade supersized magazine to go hunting and that smaller magazine sizes may give an opportunity to interrupt a killer during a shooting spree. When you hunt for ducks youre allowed three shells in the gun. One in the chamber and two in the magazine. So my question for the senator from connecticut is this when will Congress Finally say enough is enough . How many lives would have to be lost in one shooting for congress to act . When will Congress Join with responsible gun owners across this country and support common sense steps to prevent horrific tragedies . When will we close the terrorist gun loophole . When will we close the gun show loophole . When will we close the craigslist loophole . Like weve seen in sandy hook and like weve seen in roseburg and now with orlando, weve seen that all too much tragedy has taken place. Thank you, mr. President. Mr. Murphy i thank the senator. At this point i would yield to the senator from connecticut for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Blumenthal i want to thank all of our colleagues who have come today and thank my friend and teammate in this cause and so many other causes, senator murphy, and just bring us back to the issue of why we are here today, why we have come to the floor, senator murphy, myself and senator booker of new jersey to make three essential points, and im going to ask my colleague from connecticut whether ive hit these points, the reasons that have brought us here today and so many eloquent colleagues, i might add, and i am deeply grateful to them. We are here debating an appropriations bill for commerce, justice, and science, but were here really on a much larger issue. Why is this debate different . Why is this day different . Orlando has hopefully brought us to a tipping point, changed the dynamic, enabled us to break through the paralysis and the complicity by inaction that has characterized the United States senate on the issue of stopping acts of terror and hatred in our country. And those acts may emanate from abroad. We have to fight that terrorism that is inspired or supported by our enemies abroad as well as people who are motivated by the twisted, insidious ideology that may be inspired or supported abroad, the per nishes hatred and bigotry pernicious hatred and bigotry, Mental Illness, whatever the cause. There are three simple points, are there not . There will be no business as usual until there is action. Enough is enough. Were here to say the time for business as usual on a routine appropriations bill, c. J. S. Appropriation, that time is done. Were here to make a historic point and seek to change the dynamic and seize this moment of National Tragedy and demand action. Thats what the American People want and that is the second point. There is a National Consensus that its not only our opportunity but our obligation to protect the American People, to make our nation safer, to assure that whether its twisted ideology, pernicious bigotry and hatred, Mental Illness, any other cause, we can and we will take steps to stop it and third, closing the terrorist loophole must be accompanied by universal background checks. For someone to be too dangerous to board a plane and still be able to buy a gun makes no sense but beyond the intellectual nonsensical quality of it, theres the real practical safety implications, somebody who is too dangerous to board a plane, to travel by air should be deemed too dangerous to buy a gun, as dangerous as a convicted felon already precluded by law from buying a gun, but that terrorist now, even if he were barred from buying a gun could easily go to a gun show and by a gun because theres no check whatsoever at those gun shows, not on the nix system let alone terrorist watch list. The two measures, closing the gun show loophole or background check gap, and closing the terrorist gap or loophole go hand in hand. They are a start. Theyre not a panacea. Theyre not a complete solution. Were going to be talking throughout the evening about other measures that can be tak taken. Those three points are essential. No business as usual. Enough is enough. A National Consensus in favor of common sense, sensible measures to make our nation safer from gun violence and from acts of terror and hate inspired and supported by forces of evil abroad and at home and finally combining these to measures, closing the terrorist gap loophole and also making sure there are background checks on all gun sales in the country. Are those not essential points, senator murphy . Mr. Murphy i thank the gentleman for distilling the reason of our presence on the floor down to those points. We see this as possible. We see it as possible to get a consensus between democrats and republicans to bring these to measures, closing the terrorist gap, expanding background checks before the senate floor this afternoon or tonight. We think that is possible and we intend to hold the floor until we make significant progress on that front. With that, i i yield to the gentleman for a question. Mr. Blumenthal if the gentleman would yield just for a question without yielding the floor, those points really should be bipartisan. They should attract support from both sides of the aisle. Theres nothing republican or democrat about any of these points, is there . Mr. Murphy theres not, senator blumenthal through the chair. Thats the reason why we posited these to because we know theyre noncontroversial in the American Public. They enjoy broad bipartisan support. I would yield to the gentleman from new jersey, senator menendez for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Menendez i want to thank my colleague for yielding for a question. I want to thank him and my colleague from new jersey, senator booker, and also senator blumenthal for galvanizing the sentiment that has existed for some time among many of us that enough is enough, that its outrageous that it took another mass shooting to bring us to this moment in the United States senate. You know, on sunday morning i woke up as did the nation heart broken by the news that 49 human beings were killed in another senseless act of violence. 49 people who were at a dance club celebrating pride week. By the way, most of them overwhelmingly latino. 49 americans celebrating in an environment that they felt safe and in an instant their lives were shattered and families were broken. So i believe this was an attack on all of us, and we need more, more than another moment of silence, although we take a moment of silence to remember those lives that were lost, but we need more than another moment of silence. We need more im tired of saying that our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost a loved one or were injured. We need more than a vigil and a bouquet. We need action. We need common sense gun safety laws. We need to stand together with one voice. I hope we can prick the conscience of the senate to finally act. I deeply appreciate my colleague from new jersey, senator booker, who has passionately described the ongoing threat of gun violence in our communities. We are galvanized in this moment because we had such a horrific act, but in many ways those horrific acts take place every day in the streets and neighborhoods of our communities across the country. While they may not add to so many lives lost at a single event, they add up to many lives lost and they seem to go largely unreported. We have become desensitized to that reality. And he has seen the havoc thats wreaked by the nations lax gun laws when he was the mayor of newark and i have seen it in the streets of our communities in new jersey, the threat of those who are prone to violence, those looking to vent their anger or their prejudices, those who would act on their own worse instincts towards others for whatever reason have easy access to weapons of war. It isnt limited to orlando. It isnt limited to aurora. It isnt limited to newtown. It isnt limited to any state or city. People travel. Guns are trafficked and the violence and the carnage they create in the wrong hands knows no borders. We need to act and say no more. No more. Its inexcusable in the midst of americas nonstop gun violence epidemic to not come together, to hold the commonsense center and pass gun Safety Measures that we know are supported by a vast majority of the American People. How in gods name can a person on the terrorist watch list, unable to board a plane, so dangerous that they cannot fly, so dangerous that they are known to the f. B. I. , how can they walk into a gun store and walk out with an automatic weapon and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and nothing is flagged . And what does it say that our nations are so wildly that our nations laws are so wildly misguided that a potential terrorist doesnt even have to go a gun store . They can simply open up their computer and click with a mouse on a web site, or they can go to a gun show and buy a Deadly Weapon, two Deadly Weapons, four militarystyle, designed for war, without even without even a cursory background check . Mr. President , thats unp believable thats unbelievable. It defies logic, and its time to do something about it. Now, i dont believe that these are controversial proposals. A majority of americans agree with universal background checks. Got nothing to hide. You can still have access to a weapon if you can pass those background checks. Even a majority of n. R. A. Members agree with universal background checks. It makes sense. It is a position upon which we should all be able to agreement. It is a position that holds the center and can be a starting point for a larger discussion. And the fact that we havent gotten to do this is, in my mind, a national disgrace. Frankly, it needed to have happened already. It should have happened after aurora, when a madman ruined movie theaters for the rest of us. It should have happened after Virginia Tech, where gun violence invaded our college. It should have happened after sandy hook, where gun violence came to our Elementary Schools. So im reminded of that old chinese proverb that says, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The secondbest time is now. Lets at least have the will and the resolve to do whats right now. You know, do you know how long it takes to get an ar15, the weapon used in this horrific attack . Well, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporters decided to find out. The answer seven minutes. It took seven minutes. Thats all the time it took to get a weapon that has a frightening number of similarities to the m16 weapon used by the military. And it was pointed out in that article that it could take more time to read the names of the more than 100 people who were either killed or injured in orlando than to buy the ar15. Of course, that model is just a base model. Go to a gun store and you can buy a variety of addons to make the weapon kill that much more. Yes, kill. This isnt about hunting. If you need something that has hundreds of rounds in it to hunt a deer, my god, youre in trouble. A prime example is the bum fire stock, which increases the rate of fire up to 800 rounds per minute. 800 rounds per minute. Thats more than 13 per second. Now, i know maybe the n. R. A. Will claim that these are cosmetic, but it insults intelligence, if its not completely absurd, to claim that a modification that allows a gun to fire 800 rounds per minute is merely cosmetic. But apparently to the n. R. A. , 800 rounds a minute is normal, covered by the founders language in the Second Amendment where no one could have ever imagined at the time of the Second Amendment that there could be an instrument that could fire 800 rounds a minute. Mr. President , weve seen how our nations laws hurt our families and hurt our communities again and again. Every day there are shootings that dont make the front pages of the newspapers, but they ruin lives, they tear families apart, they test the very fabric of our society. The orlando shooting was one of 43 shootings on sunday 43. 43 shootings that resulted in 18 deaths, including five children. Five children. We can honor the constitution. We can honor the intent of our founders. But i dont think that im alone in believing that we can enact commonsense, realistic gun safety laws that respect the constitution but also protect the lives of americans. Ive heard many times of my colleagues, the governments numberone responsibility is the safety and security of its citizens. Well, youve abdicated that part in this regard. In the case of orlando, the lives of those in the Lgbt Community that always had to live with the threat of violence hanging and that 90 of the victims were hispanic is a horrible reminder that bigotry and hate are not dead and that the forces of evil have no compulsion about using our nations lax gun laws against us. Again, we need to come together and say, no more. We need to hold the commonsense center and pass realistic gun Safety Measures that can respect the Second Amendment but fully protect americans from a Second Amendment that has no limits, no common sense, no realistic real estate strictions. So i ask my colleague from connecticut, as you have helped us galvanize in this moment, isnt it possible to preserve those constitutional rights, as were originally envisioned by the framers, and protect our fellow americans, which many of our colleagues ar have said is e numberone responsibility of the federal government . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for his passionate words and his advocacy on this issue. And i refer him to a conversation senator manchin and i had earlier today in which we talked about the gun culture of West Virginia and how senator manchin hasnt run into anyone who is passionate about gun ownership that believes that people on the terrorist watch list should be able to buy guns, that believes that criminals should be able to buy guns. He argued passionately for this notion that you proffer, that there is no choice to be made between upholding the Second Amendment and protecting our citizens from attack. And Justice Scalia himself said in a very controversial decision that not everyone agrees with that the Second Amendment is not absolute, that the Second Amendment, even in the minds of those that hold it as a private right of gun ownership inherent in it, that denies terrorists from getting guns, keeping assault weapons off the street, recognizing there is no place in society for 100round drums of ammunition. All those are wholly in keeping with the Second Amendment. With that, i yield to the senator from New Hampshire without losing my right to the floor. Mrs. Shaheen thank you to my colleague from connecticut. Im here, like everyone else on the floor, in the wake of who ar inthe wake of horrific Mass Shootings because americans have come together to grieve for the dead and to comfort those left behind, but we havent come together to do anything to stop the next shooting, to prevent the next series of funerals, to prevent future devastation. So thats why i want to thank senators murphy and blumenthal, the senators from new jersey from connecticut, and senator booker from new jersey, for leading us here today to demand action. And lets be clear. Tears are not enough. Expressions of outrage are not enough. After columbine and Virginia Tech and aurora and newtown and charleston and San Bernardino and so many shootings that have happened with numbing regulatory, moments of silence and expressions of sympathy are just not enough. This senate, this Congress Needs to pass commonsense gun safety legislation, legislation supported by nine out of ten americans. It is inconceivable that congress would fail to act in the wake of the orlando tragedy. To do nothing would be an affront to all those americans who have lost loved ones to senseless gun violence. The distinguished senators from connecticut, the distinguished senator from new jersey have been outspoken advocates of commonsense gun safety legislation. Senators murphy and blumenthal have wept with the families of the 20 schoolchildren massacred at sandy hook elementary. In subsequent three and a half year, they have advocated for legislation to address the menace of widely available automatic assault weapons, weapons that have only one purpose, and that purpose is to kill large numbers of people. So now were here today to demand action on commonsense measures to address gun violence. The first would be to deny guns to people on the f. B. I. s nofly list. Those people on the nofly list because of suspecteddize to extremist organizations or ideologies should not be allowed to fly, and they should not be allowed to buy a gun. It doesnt get more common sense than this. If a person is considered too dangerous to board an airplane, then that person is too dangerous to purchase a militarystyle assault weapon. Second, to ensure universal background checks for gun buyers, to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. At least nine out of ten americans support these measures. Its a nobrainer. Well, enough is enough. It is time for us to say, enough is enough. We get a Second Chance to vote on this legislation, and this time we must come together on a bipartisan basis to pass commonsense gun safety legislation to end the violence. Now, as we contemplate this legislation, lets remember the photographs weve all seen them on television, in the newspapers photographs of so many wonderful young People Killed by gun violence, now from orlando. The orlando shooting was both a crime of terror and a crime of hate. Now its time for us to honor those who died. To honor our friends who are hurting in the Lgbt Community, who honor our friends in the Latino Community, to honor all those americans who weve lost to senseless gun violence, and to my friend from connecticut, i would ask, isnt the best way to honor all those people weve lost to gun violence to act now to prevent future tragedies . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for her question, and i think about the survivors. I think about the parents of those that were lost in newtown, and i think about the additional layer of grief that we intentionally place upon their shoulders by our inaction. There is some solace a small measure of solace in knowing that the people that you voted to run your country care so dupely about your dead child that theyre going to do something about it. But there is a next level of grief when you realize that they dont actually care enough to even have a debate to protect other children like them. This is our choice, senator shaheen, and youre very articulate in your challenge to us. I hope we respond to it. I would yield the floo i woue senator from new york without losing my right to the floor. Mrs. Gillibrand i rise to join my colleagues in questioning why this body, after so many who are refusic horrific tragedies over the years, refuse to pass those that would make us safer from massacres that happened in orlando . I want to thank my colleague for leading in charge on the senate floor. He knows too well what it is like to have his state fall victim to a mass murder. He knows what its like to have happy, innocent lives cut short by gun violence. The massacre at the Elementary School in newtown took place more than three years ago, but it still feels like it was yesterday. Sweet, smiling children slaughtered by someone so evil and so hateful who was allowed to have easy access to an assault weapon, a weapon of war. And then it happened again last year in charleston, churchgoers who were praying were slaughtered by someone so evil and so hateful, who was allowed to have easy access to a deadly, powerful weapon. And then it happens again in San Bernardino. Colleagues, in an office celebrating the end of the year. They were slaughtered by two people, so evil, so hateful, who were allowed to have easy access to an assault weapon. A weapon of war. The list goes on and on. And after all of these mat shootings Mass Shootings, Congress Must do something. They must respond; right . No. Why doesnt congress do anything . Why do they stand silent . Why do they not look those parents in the eye and say this will not happen again . After all of these Mass Shootings, in each and every case someone with no business handling a powerful Deadly Weapon has had easy access to that weapon and used it to kill people quickly. And now we have a new tragedy to add to this book. Like all of my colleagues here, i was devastated when i heard about the attack this past weekend in orlando, and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by this awful, hateful crime. Family, friends of 49 victims, the entire Lgbt Community, the community Latino Community. These were 49 happy people dancing together, laughing, celebrating who they are until the middle of pride month in a club that has always been a safe haven for them. But once again an evil and hateful person, a citizen of this country who was angry, hateful, and radicalized was allowed by this congress to have easy access to a Deadly Weapon of war. Now lets be very clear about the kind of weapon this man used. The weapon is an ar15. It was not designed to hunt deer. It was not designed for target practice. It was designed to kill large numbers of people quickly, at war. This is not a weapon used in hunting. Why are we allowing private citizens to have access, such easy access to these weapons of war and something has to change. No one outside of our military who are trained to use these weapons needs to have access to a weapon that can fire hundreds of bullets in a minute. Hundreds of bullets in a minute. The only people with the power to change this are the men and women who serve in this chamber, who serve in the senate and house of representatives. Is this slaughter not a wakeup call . Is it not enough to convince us to act . Where is our spine . The gun industry is a rich and powerful lobby in this country, but we werent elected to protect the gun industrys profits. We were elected to protect america and its safety. We have to make it harder for hateful, angry, violent people to get a hand on a weapon, a weapon of war that is designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. And the only way we change it, the only way is if congress fulfills its responsibility to protect the American People and passes new laws that keep us safe. The people of orlando, San Bernardino, charleston, newtown, new york, the entire nation, none of them should have to go through their daily lives in fear of violence, in fear that an angry radicalized citizen can buy and use a weapon of war against innocent americans. Mr. President , we already have bipartisan reforms that are ready to go, that are overwhelmingly supported by the American People. Obviously background checks that are more effective so that a wouldbebe terrorist could not buy a weapon of war. He wont be able to do this. The American People support that. Stop allowing wouldbe murderers to buy weapons of war like the ar15 without scrutiny. Lift our National Hold on the c. D. C. And allow them actually to study the issue of gun deaths the way we are allowed to study any other cause of death in this country. The American People support this as well. So lets stop the people who have been deemed too dangerous to fly on an airplane from being allowed to buy guns. Lets stop the hands lets stop tying the hands of Law Enforcement and preventing them from sharing crime data and lets stop preventing a. T. F. From requiring gun stores to conduct inventory and report any guns that have been lost or stolen. And lets stop blocking the a. T. F. From preventing the dumping of nonsupporting weapons into the American Market from abroad and lets finally crack down on straw purchasing. These are all measures that the American People strongly support. My state of new york suffers deeply from gun violence. Our biggest problem is the amount of illegal weapons that flow into our state every single day from other states. The amount of guns, 90 , used in crimes come from out of state. 85 of them are illegal. These are weapons literally sold out of the back of a truck from someone in another state to a gang member. And how many innocent lives, like naisha do we have to lose because a stray bullet hits her while she is out with her friends . It is unconscionable that this Congress Stands and does nothing. I just want to thank my friend from connecticut for yielding the floor to him, and ill ask him this final question. What do you propose we should do to protect americans from this type of senseless violence . What should we do now as senators and as members of this body . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for her passion. Its not a coincidence that sitting in this front row in this section of the senate are three parents of young kids. Were friends, but we are also in common cause. And maybe we bring a little bit more of our gut to this question of what we do to protect children and adults because we think of our own children, think of how at risk they are. Senator gillibrand, through the chair, we have proposed two simple measures to begin with. Lets bring to the floor a background checks bill that expands background checks to gun shows and Internet Sales where the majority or the lions share of sales have migrated to and lets make sure the terrorists cant buy guns, those that are the on the terrorist watch list, the nofly list. Lets start there. If we can get an agreement to bring those two pieces of legislation in a bipartisan way before the senate, then we would pack up our stuff and go home gladly. But we need to have bipartisan consensus on those two votes to move forward. And that is our hope and thats the reason why we are holding the floor here today. With that, i would yield to the senator from missouri, great leader on this issue, without yield to her for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mrs. Mccaskill mr. President , i want to read out loud verbatim a voice mail that was left on my office phone this morning. I wish i could play it because if you hear the voice, you will understand more completely why i believe this particular voice mail was compelling. I am 14 years old from st. Louis. 63011. And ive been really looking a lot into the Orlando Shootings and just really gun control in general. And i was kind of thinking and i thought like ill be a freshman this year, and i want to go to high school. And i want to drive a car. And i want to go to prom. And i want to graduate high school. And i want to go to college. And i want to graduate college. And i want to get a job. And i want to get married, and i want to have kids. But since missouri voted those on terrorist watch list can purchase guns, im scared that i wont be able to do those things. I know that im young and i dont really know what plays into your job at all, and i dont know all the arguments and all the factors, but at this point im just really scared. And people are dying. And i think something needs to change. And so whatever that may take, please just take my feelings into consideration, and i would really, really, really appreciate it. So thank you so much. Bye. Its a 14yearold girl from st. Louis. Now shes a little confused about who has decided that people on the terrorist watch list can buy guns. It is in fact the United States senate that made that decision in december on a vote that has been recounted over and over again, basically a partyline vote that we were not going to take the commonsense step of saying that if the most trusted Law Enforcement professionals in the world, the most professional and highly trained, have put an individual on the terrorist watch list, that we should not let them buy guns in this country. Pretty common sense. And a 14yearold knows it. And shes scared. One of the pieces of legislation that senator murphy is asking for bipartisan support for is the one that closes the gun show loophole and the online loophole when it comes to background checks. What are we afraid of . What are we afraid of with a background check . Why should we have massive categories of gun purchases in this country without a background check. Why do we require a background check for a Small Business whos selling guns but we dont for somebody who wants to operate online . And we know for a fact that there has been terrorist messaging sent to people in this country. You can weaponize yourself at gun shows. And with some pretty heavy artillery. We are in fact pointed out in the rest of the world as the place that its easiest, with no questions asked, to obtain weapons that can kill and slaughter dozens and dozens of people in mere seconds. Why is this so hard . Where is the invisible hand thats stopping this . I dont want to be cynical about it. Is it the n. R. A. . Is it the n. R. A. That is single handedly stopping this . Is everyone so afraid of the n. R. A. . Why are they so afraid of the n. R. A. . Do they not have faith in their constituents, that their constituents are right about there . Because theres no question the majority of constituents in this country want background checks, and a majority of constituents in this country want us to not sell guns to people on a terrorist watch list. Before i ask a question of senator murphy, i want to cover one more subject thats really bugging me as a former prosecutor. And that is the argument that has been presented, while we dont want to put we want to make sure we dont somehow let the terrorists know that were investigating them. So if we put them on a list and they cant get a gun and they go to buy a gun, then all of a sudden this terrorist is going to know were on to them. That is such hogwash. Let me explain why. We have a nofly list. We have other kinds of lists in this country. If the f. B. I. Is investigating, they have the discretion in this bill to remove someone from that list for purposes that would support pursuing that individual without him knowing that he was ever on the list. So all they would have to do as if they are about to get intelligence, or they think theyre about to get intelligence or they think they are about to be able to uncover a larger plot, or even if they think they are about to arrest the terrorist in question, they are absolutely on top of it, and they can easily remove the name from the list and continue to pursue that individual, track that individual and make sure that whatever gun that they might purchase is never used. This bill, when it comes to the terrorist watch list, gives the f. B. I. That discretion. There is not going to be a terrorist that gets the heads up thats all of a sudden going to send them into hiding or send them, unfortunately unless we pass the bill, to the internet or to the nearest gun show. It amazes me the kind of trust that i hear mouthed about Law Enforcement on the other side of the aisle. But yet, they are not willing to trust the f. B. I. With the serious decision as to whether or not an individual belongs on a terrorist watch list. And they are not willing to trust the f. B. I. As to whether or not they do what they need to do to continue to pursue an investigation and arrest as it relates to this list. I think this is a gut check moment for this country. If you look at the graph of where we lie with how many Mass Shootings we have compared to all the other developed nations in the world, some of whom have lax gun laws like we do, maybe not quite to the extent that we do, we are way, way an outlier. Thats not what we want to be an outlier on in the United States of america Mass Shootings. And i think the American People are rising up and are saying enough is enough. And i would ask the senator from connecticut if he agrees that the legislation that would restrict the ability of a identified terrorist to buy guns in this country contains the discretion necessary for the f. B. I. To continue to protect america and continue to pursue investigations and continue to pursue arrests and intelligence because of the discretion we have given the f. B. I. In that piece of legislation. Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for the question. And the answer is yes, so long as you parrot with an expansion of background checks to make sure that they are seeing these purchases wherever they take place. Thats why we have asked for this body to move forward on both of those pieces of legislation. Because we cannot ask the f. B. I. To protect this nation from terrorist attack. If we dont give them the tools to keep firearms from those who threaten us. And before turning the floor over to the senator from virginia, let me just underscore the last point that senator mccaskill made. There is no other country in the world in which this happens. The rate of gun violence in this country is 20 times higher than the combined rates of our 22 countries that are our peers in wealth and population. 20 times higher. More people have died in this country in the first 15 years of this century than died of all of the wars in the last century combined. That is unique to the United States and shame on us if we dont recognize that and do something about it. In the days after sandy hook, the senator from virginia was one of the first to stand up intentionally on National Media and say that something had to change. He was one of the early signals that this nation had woken up in the wake of sandy hook, and im glad to yield to him for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Warner mr. President , i appreciate my colleague, the senator from connecticut, for yielding for a question. Im proud to join so many members of the senate. I want to echo what the senator from missouri, comments from her constituents. Were getting those same kind of calls, notes, questions. I want to acknowledge as well there have been members of the house from virginia and louisiana who have come to show solidarity of the effort thats being led so ably by both senators from connecticut and the senator from new jersey. I think we all are trying to wrap our heads, mr. President , around how did it happen that a single, lone gunman was able to extinguish the lives of 49ing americans at a 49 americans at a gay nightclub in orlando. We look at this legislation, i think we also have to acknowledge that this was a crime of hate, a crime of hate that unfortunately targeted the Latino Community in particular, the Lgbt Community. As the Lgbt Community grieves nationwide, we need to make clear that the long fight for equality includes not only Marriage Equality but equal protection in terms of Public Safety and living in safe communities. The senator from connecticut just made some of the comments about the number of deaths that take place in our country each year from gun violence. 30,000 a year. I think the senator from connecticut acknowledged in the aftermath of newtown how i rethought some of my positions on some of these issues. We all have to take a fresh look at the challenges our country faces in providing a reasonable framework of Gun Legislation that protects the rights of lawabiding gun owners. One of the things that troubles me is that i think virtually every member of this body has probably stated or tweeted out their thoughts and prayers for the victims in orlando. What im hearing in the media from those victims and people across the board is they want to see more than thoughts and prayers. They want to actually see us act. There are a whole host of different proposals that we could look at to try to deal with gun violence. I believe the senator from connecticut, though, has picked two that are frankly the most reasonable, the most Common Ground that we should take on because like the senator from connecticut, i know what the scourge of having a mass murder take place in your state. Until this terrible tragedy in orlando, the deadliest mass shooting prior to last week was at Virginia Tech in the commonwealth of virginia where 32 lives were taken. I know how that community grieved, how newtown grieved, how aurora grieved, how charleston grieved and how now orlando is grieving, and quite honestly day annandale day out, how many other communities are affected by the scourge of gun violence. As a member of the Senate Intelligence committee, i know the challenges we face every day in dealing with the threat of violent terrorists determined to do our nation harm, but if were going to talk about taking on terrorism, which we need to have a united effort on, shouldnt we take this reasonable step of abiding by the judgment of Law Enforcement and say if you end up on a terrorist watch list, you should not be able to purchase a firearm. And we have seen in recent days statistics that show that more than 90 of known and suspected terrorists who attempted to buy weapons since 2004 have passed a background check and then have been able to purchase a firearm. To me that is an internal contradiction that by taking action this week we can change around. If youre too dangerous to get on an airplane, arent you too dangerous as well from being able to purchase a firearm . The second solution that our friend the senator from connecticut has put forward, take up and pass the bipartisan proposal that has overwhelming support of the general public to increase background checks. 90 of the public supports this effort, over 70 of gun owners support this effort. And why . Because we know that background checks work. Since 1994, 2. 6 Million People with either evidence of criminal background or Mental Illnesses have been prevented from purchasing firearms. So, mr. President , there are a host of other proposals. I know the senator from connecticut has put on his agenda, but what i want to do is thank the senator from connecticut for putting forward two of the most basic proposals, two of the proposals that have the broadest bipartisan appeal, and i would ask the senator from connecticut, with the overwhelming public support that america has expressed for this kind of commonsense legislation and with unfortunately the sometimes low regard this body has is held, does the senator from connecticut believe if we took up these actions and passed them, not only could we send a strong and a half of making america safer but we could once again show that we are fug filling our constitutional duty . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for the question, and i really do think that thats at the essence of this debate, why were on the floor today, why were lodging this protest, that if you look at why the Approval Ratings of congress are so low, it is in part because there are these enormous challenges that are confronting the nation that were ignoring. People are upset that were bickering and fighting all the time, but they are also deeply upset that there are these epidemics, that there are these Public Safety crises, and that we are doing nothing. So i think our ability to respond to this in a bipartisan way to reflect the support of 90 of the American Public is about saving lives, but its also about as you said fulfilling our constitutional responsibility. Why did you sign up for this job and why did you decide to be a United States senator if you were going to ignore this epidemic of slaughter in this nation . There is nobody that disagrees with the fact that this is a major problem. Its on the headline of every paper, almost every day a weekly basis. Why do you want to be a United States senator if you want to ignore this one . So i thank the senator for his remarks and for his question. Im going to yield to the senator from minnesota for a question without yielding the floor who has been such a leader on this issue in general but her focus on protecting victims of Domestic Violence is hopefully going to lead to one of the breakthroughs that were seeking in the context of this debate. I yield to the senator from minnesota for a question without losing my right to the floor. Ms. Klobuchar mr. President . Mr. President , i want to ask if the gentleman from connecticut will yield for a question without yielding the floor . Mr. Murphy i yield to the gentlelady for a question. Ms. Klobuchar first of all, i want to thank my colleague from connecticut for his work along with the senator from new jersey, senator booker, senator blumenthal and many others in bringing people together today to call for commonsense action to make our communities safer. I know senator manchin was here earlier. He has been such a leader working on the bipartisan bill with senator toomey on background checks, and i appreciate their efforts. I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to all those families of those who were massacred in orlando, also those laying injured, some very seriously critically injured in hospital beds in orlando today. My prayers are with the victims and their families. I look at this, first of all, and i think i look at the senator from connecticut and i think of the people from his own state who he knows so well, the parents of those young little children that were killed in sandy hook. I remember them coming to my office the day that the background check bill went down, and they came to my office and a number of us were telling them that it was going to go down, that we didnt have enough votes to pass this commonsense measure for background checks, and what i was struck with was that they knew that that particular measure wouldnt have saved their babies, they knew that it wouldnt have done it, but they were there because they had come to the conclusion that this was the best way to save other children, to save other people from dying. And as they told me their stories, one of them told me the story of how when her young son who was autistic left for school that day, he looked up at the refrigerator and pointed at the picture of his health aide, and it was someone that was with him all the time, he could barely speak but he loved her and he pointed up at that picket on the refrigerator in the morning. Up at that picture on the refrigerator in the morning. So as she sat at that firehouse with the other parents waiting and waiting to see if her child would come back, it became very clear that some children were never coming back and hers was one of them, and when they found that little boy, he was in the arms of that education aide, that health aide that he loved so much, and they were both shot and they were both killed. And as she told me that story, i thought these parents are so courageous that they are coming today to try to advocate for something that they knew they had come to grips with the fact that they wanted more, that they knew that the background check measure was the best they could do to save lives at that moment. They knew that the background check measure would especially help in cases of Domestic Violence and suicide because they knew the statistics that in those states that had passed such measures, they had seen improvements in the numbers for those kinds of deaths, so they were advocating for it. That was why they were there. And yet, this body didnt have the courage that those parents had to be there that day to pass that measure. And so here we are today. We are looking at, first of all, a dangerous loophole that allows terrorists to buy firearms here in the United States. In minnesota, we have a little experience with this. We were the state that before 9 11 some citizens, flight instructors were able to detect something was wrong with a man that cared about flying, moussaoui, but not about landing, and so they turned him in, and no one was ever able to connect the dots, but there he was in a jail in minnesota. I know a little bit about this as a former prosecutor, and i know a little bit about this because of the cases that we have had in our state. We have had dozens of indictments against people that have been trying to go to join alshabaab in somalia or the terrorist group isis. We just had three convictions in u. S. Federal court in just the last week. We know about this in our state and how close it hits to home. We love our Muslim Community in our state. They are a part of a fabric of life. We have the biggest Somali Community in the country. But we also know that we need to keep our communities safe, and by working with that community, we have been able to bring these kinds of prosecutions. And so when its that close, you know that you dont want people who on the who are on the terrorist watch list to get guns. And incredibly u. S. Law does not prevent individuals who are on the terror watch list from purchasing guns. A total of 2,233 people on the watch list tried to buy guns in our country between 20042014, and more than 2,000 or 91 of them cleared a background check, and thats according to the Government Accountability office. Im a cosponsor of senator feinsteins bill and i joined 25 of my senate colleagues, including my colleague from connecticut in offering an amendment that also would have stopped these dangerous individuals from buying firearms and explosives. The background check bill, we know that this helps, and thats why two at the time, senator manchin and senator toomey joined together to try to put forward some common sense legislation. Sadly, sadly, that bill did not pass. And i believe that we should bring that bill up again for a vote. The third piece of legislation that i think is possible to pass, as i look at what has bipartisan support, what could make the bi biggest difference a bill that i a bipartisan bill with senator kirk. Theres a house bill as well. And that bill focuses on victims of stalking, victims of Domestic Violence. As we look at some common sense measures, we know that not one bill is going to fix all these cases. Not one bill is going to make the difference in every case but combined, they make a major difference. So my question for the gentleman from connecticut, my question for him is about an area where i believe we should be able to find consensus and that is also in addition to the important closure of the loophole from the terrorist watch list for people buying guns, the background check bill. That is a Domestic Violence area. Studies have shown more than three women per day lose their lives at the hands of their partners and more than half killed by their partners are shot with a gun. Theres a simple bill that would first of all make sure that dating partners, its the same rule that applies to those who are married would apply to dating partners. Even the republican witnesses at our hearing with senator leahy and senator grassley, they even embraced this portion of the bill, that if people are dating partners as opposed to married, it should make no difference in terms of how you look at this if theyve committed and act of Domestic Violence and their ability to go in and buy a gun. The second piece of this bill is about stalking. If someone has been convicted of a stalking crime, that they shouldnt be able to go in and buy a gun. When i look at these types of common sense measures, i always think of my uncle dick. He loved to hunt and he always would hunt deer. And i have to think to myself, would closing off the loophole in the terrorist watch list hurt my uncle dick and his deer stand . Not at all. Would putting the background check bills in place across the country, would that hurt my uncle dick and his deer stand . Not at all. And would closing these loopholes on stalking and on dating partners in any way hurt my uncle dick and his deer stand because our state loves hunting, were a big hunting state. So i always have to do a gut check when i look at these bills to the senator from connecticut. And id like you to answer that question. Of these common sense bills that weve been talking about today that could save hundreds if not thousands of lives, do you think that they would any way hurt those in our states and every state in this nation that value their guns and value hunting who are lawabiding citizens . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for that question. You just have to look through the data for the answer. Weve had pretty robust survey data on the question of support for expanding background checks or support for denying people on the no fly list access to guns. And its universal. Everybody wants these changes. Republicans want them. Democrats want them. Nongun owners want them. Gun owners want them. The vast majority of n. R. A. Members support the provisions we are proposing for bipartisan action today. And id suggest the same thing is true with respect to protecting victims of Domestic Violence. It has nothing to do with being a republican or democratic gun owner or a nongun owner. When you tell people somebody has a restraining order lodged against them shouldnt get a gun, everybody nods their head. I think senator klobuchar for being such a lead other that leader on that particular issue. It is controversial only here. Its controversial only in washington, d. C. And the political arenas of this country. Its not really controversial in the broader American Public. So i thank you. Ms. Klobuchar i want to note the members of the house here that congresswoman dingell is the lead sponsor of that bill in the house on Domestic Violence. So we have to bipartisan bills in both chambers. Ms. Mikulski would the gentlelady yield. The presiding officer i would yield to the gentlelady. Ms. Mikulski first of all, joining you as a social worker, my question is the general dal lady from minnesota with her vast experience as an attorney general as well as her ad advocy here in the senate the presiding officer the question must be directed toward the senator from connecticut. Ms. Mikulski to the senator from connecticut, that the most most of the victims of guns in a Domestic Violence are Law Enforcement officials responding to the aid of Domestic Violence victim. In my own state there have been wonderful men in blue that came to a home to rescue someone who was being held or something by their spouse often off their meds that when the Police Officer responded because it was Domestic Violence, not responding as if it were an act of active scene was also killed, has that been your observation . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator, the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee for the question. That certainly is a big part of this story line, this toxic mixture of guns and restraining orders. It puts everyone in jeopardy. It puts the individual who lonled the restraining order lodged the restraining order in jeopardy and puts the Law Enforcement officers who get in the middle of that conflict in jeopardy. Its hard enough for Law Enforcement officers to try to enforce a restraining order. This is a spouse who is angry, who is at the peak at their fury often and you add a gun in that mix, everyones life is in danger. I thank the senator and i would yield to the gentleman from ohio for a question without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Brown thank you. Mr. President , thank you, and my friend from connecticut, thank you. I so admire how when you came to the senate, it was right after the perhaps most tragic two hours in our recent nations existence with what happened to those kids, those children in your congressional district. How do we senator murphy, how do we go home i just hear this i watch what happened at sandy hook. I watch what happened in colorado. I watch what happened in california. Now we see what happened in orlando to those 49 mostly young men and women, mostly of hispanic descent, mostly gay we think, whammed to them. How do we go home and when this body fails year after year after year to do the right thing, and i admire so much what senator murphy did when he came here and just got in the face of so many members of the senate and said, you a he got to do the right thing. And my question for senator murphy is, how do we go home and look people in the eye and say we failed again . I dont i think we should i think this body should stay in session till we do a number of things from confirming a Supreme Court justice to taking care of the mine Workers Pension to this legislation, but how do i go back to cleveland and say, well, we tried it again. We didnt do it, its not that big a deal if people cant fly on an airplane, they still ought to be able to get a gun, how do we possibly look people in the eye and answer that question . Mr. Murphy you know, i thank the senator for a question thats unanswerable. The answer is we cant. As you know, there is a very real palpable fear out there today. Theres no way to look at what happened in San Bernardino, to look at what happened in orlando and not be scared. Yes, its an attack thats designed to illicit a fear thats disproportional to the actual threat. Thats what terrorism is. But peoples fear is elevated when they dont see us taking action. Senator casey, i think earlier today made this point. He said, can you imagine after september 11 doing nothing . Can you imagine if our response after that tragedy was to do nothing, to just move on to the next piece of legislation as if it didnt occur . Well, that was 3,000 people whose lives were taken. There are 30,000 people a year who are killed by guns. And if you add up those that have been killed in Mass Shootings, the numbers approach that of september 11. And so this is a moment in which i think its impossible for us to go back home and once again say that we havent done anything. And i guess thats the reason that were here. I know this is uncomfortable to stop the c. J. S. Process, to force and ask staff to stay beyond regular hours, but for many of us, and i think youre amongst this group, senator brown through the chair, we just couldnt pretend that this is business as usual again. We just couldnt go through another one of these shootings, this one the worst in the history of this country, and just go back to our regular business. Thats why were here today, to suggest that this time it has to be different. And i yield the floor for a question. Mr. Brown with my friend yield again through the chair. I was at a meeting yesterday with a group of democratic senators, and i heard two of the youngest members of our caucus and two of the most impressive members of our caucus, senator booker and you, senator murphy, talk about the number of gun deaths in this country. My wife and i live in the city of cleveland. We live in the zip code in cleveland in 2007 that had more foreclosures than any zip code in the United States of america. We live in a nice neighborhood of about 250 homes. Most of the rest of the neighborhood has suffered some in our neighborhood, much outside that neighborhood of foreclosure after foreclosure and urban blight. And many nights we hear gunshots and then we hear Police Sirens. And i know that senator booker said and i think my friend from connecticut, i heard him talk about what he sees in newark and what we see and we had a terrible, terrible number of deaths in southern very rural appalachia southern ohio just three weeks ago where apparently one Family Member killed a whole bunch of others with a gun. And i got a letter today yesterday from a man in toledo. Im a gay man living in toledo. Ive never been to a pride event and this would be my year but im fear, just like you talk about the fear. I dont live in fear but when i hear a gunshot and firing, i hear sirens in my neighborhood or not that far away if my direct neighborhood, i have grandchildren. Ive not heard those gunshots and Police Sirens when my daughters when my daughters or grandchildren have been there but you think about that. The question is, why is it harder to obtain a drivers license than to buy a gun . Why do we not have the political courage to pass reasonable laws . Ive been in Public Office a long time, and i have seen so many of my colleagues, mostly republicans, just cower when the n. R. A. Calls or cower when they think about the whole idea of passing gun laws. I heard yesterday a reporter told me that the republica repun senators wont talk to her right thousand about any issue because theyre afraid they might ask about the n. R. A. And the Campaign Dollars theyve gotten from the n. R. A. What is it . How why fundamentally is it easier to obtain harder to obtain a drivers license than it is to buy a gun . Mr. Murphy i thank the senator for the question. I want to acknowledge weve had a number of house members come down to the floor of the senate today to support our efforts. Congressman richmond, a good friend of myself and senator booker whos witnessed this ongoing slaughter in new orleans, unabated because of inaction from this congress has joined us. Ive seen a number of other members from the house join us as well. I thank them and i thank in particular my friend, representative richmond for being here. I think thats a great question, senator brown, especially in the context of the history of the n. R. A. s advocacy in this body. It used to be that the n. R. A. Actually supported expanding background checks ch in the wake of the columbine massacre, it was the n. R. A. That was arguing to close the loopholes in our background check system. And so as a means of answering why we cant get agreement, you have to ask yourself and answer the question as to whats happened to the gun lobby. The gun lobby used to actually come here. It originated of course as just a gun safety organization. It morphed into often more of an advocacy organization. But even as late as the columbine massacre, they were still arguing for changes in our laws to better protect individuals. Today they are an absolute organization. Today they broke no compromise. There is a large percentage of this body, enough to block common sense legislation that follows their lead. But there has been a transformation in the advocacy of that organization. You know, many of us are still hopeful that the gun owners who are members of the n. R. A. Who support what were talking about here today, right, polls tell you that n. R. A. Members support expanding background checks to cover more sales and stopping people on the no fly list from getting guns. We hope that they might prevail upon their association to be more constructive. Mr. Brown one more question. Mr. Murphy i yield for another question. Mr. Brown i wanted to share a letter i got from a woman in columbus. Im devastated by the events this weekend in orlando. I have had to be personally retriggered with every mass shooting thats occurred in the last three years. My tragedy occurred three years ago this past july. The man i was going to marry was murdered. He was shot to department of justice by a prior felon. It can happen to anyone, anytime, any reason. Please do something, anything. Saving one person from feeling the hell i felt these past three years is worth it. My heart hurts for the loved ones affected by this weekend because i know this pain. I guess, just a question maybe there is no answer but why, when swoa so many in our cy have felt this pain, certainly, the pain is felt more by people of color because they have been the victims far too often, and far too many of them are children, whether it is sandy hook or a random shooting in cleveland or newark or hartford or detroit or new haven, how what do i tell this woman from cincinnati, from columbus that tells me cant you do something in why should more people have the pain that shes felt . Mr. Murphy i think we have to lowincome at ourselves sometimes and i think we have to look at ourselves sometimes the reality is and i said this earlier on the floor that the small handful of individuals in this country to oppose these changes are calling our offices with more frkcy than the large majority of americans who support these changes and they take cues from us. Thats why were here. We were about to come back to the senate and just proceed with business as usual, as if orlando didnt happen. We were just going to start debating amendments to the commerce, justice, and science act. A understand those of us who are and those of us who are on the floor today and certainly in particular myself and senator booker and senator blumenthal said enough. Weve got to show a significant that will to the American Public that we kairks tha that we ce are going to at he very least going to stop this process from Going Forward until we cant stand any longer. Now thats a tiny, tiny sacrifice but at least it shows that we are willing to put something behind the passion that that letter writer and many other have. So i think there are a variety of answers to your question. The strength of the gun lobby, the misunderstanding about the nature of the Second Amendment, the data that we have not done a good enough job of getting out there talking about the efficacy of strorpg gun laws. Of stronger gun laws. But this exercise today on the floor is also part of changing that reality. With that, i would yield for a question, without losing my right to the floor, to just a great champion on this issue, the senator from michigan. Ms. Stabenow well, thank you very much. And i appreciate the senator junior senator from connecticut yielding for a question, and i first want to thank him and the senior senator from connecticut, the senator from new jersey and so many others who have been on the floor. Our Democratic Caucus is united in saying, enough is enough. And im very grateful to our senators from connecticut and new jersey who have come to the floor to lead us in that stand of saying, enough is enough. And so i do have a question, but let me first indicate that when we look at this situation and whether it is orlando or sandy hook or tucson or columbine, or on and on and on or every day on the streets of our cities and communities across the country its time to stop just putting out statements. I dont know about my colleagues on the floor, but im sure they share with me this sense of frustration of constantly having to put out statements saying our thoughts and prayers are with the families because, of course, our thoughts and prayers are with the families. But our actions should be with the families. Thats what were here today to focus on. Its not enough to have words. They expect us to act and to make it different. I am so grateful for so Many Americans from all walks of life and all religions who have joined together. Im so proud of the powerful statements coming from the Muslim Community standing in partnership, in friendship with the Lgbt Community and the jewish and Christian Community at large and all those who said, enough is enough. Hate crime, act of terror enough is enough. And i want to just lift up before asking my question, two young people from michigan who were part of the horror. A 25yearold who was killed in the orlando terrorist hate crime attack and by all accounts he was a wonderful young man, owned his own business, loved his family. Recently attended his nieces graduation. His friends said, no one can say a bad word about him. He always had a smile on his face and he always loved to laugh. Additionally, a detroit native was also killed in the attack. He worked as a Mental Health counselor, and he had won awards for his work in the Lgbt Community. You know, to my colleagues, we in michigan have a long tradition of enjoying hunting and fishing and the outdoors sms i grew up in northern michigan. Thats not what this debate is about, gun ownership. My family, my brothers, my son, my nieces and nephews, others look at me and go, what is going on . This is not about whether or not we can enjoy hunting or legal gun ownership. And when my family is taking to me, wait a minute. Let me get this straight. There is a terror list. You cant fly, but you can own a gun. Whats that and they go into 00 gun shop. They get a background check but you can go to a gun show or the internet and not . So i ask my colleague and great leader on this issue, i think its important now to explain a little bit more about these two things weapt to accomplish. What are the two things that we want to accomplish, going through all of this, stopping the regular business of the senate and saying, we have to act, we have to begin to address what we can do for these horrors . What are the two things that were asking for . Mr. Murphy thank you, senator stabenow. I think this is important sometimes to reset the floor and talk about what were asking for. Because theyre Pretty Simple and theyre bipartisan and theyre noncontroversial outside of this body. One, we want a version of the feinstein bill, which prohibits individuals on the nofly list from getting a gun, to come before the senate floor a vote. Second, in order to make that bill effective, we want a version of the manchintoomey compromise to expand background checks to gun shows and Internet Sales to come before the senate for a vote. Both of those measures are supported broadly by 80 to 90 of the American Public and both of them are necessary in order to protect americans from terrorist attack. Why . Because we know last year 90 of individuals who were on the nofly list who tried to buy a gun were success until buying one, and the only reason that 10 werent was was they were on some other list of prohibited individuals. So we know every year there are individuals on the nofly list that are trying to buy guns and theyre getting them. And we know that unfortunately the individual, the shooter in orlando, was at least for a period of time on those lists. He went an bought a gun. In order to make it effective, you have to make sure youre capturing gun sales that happen online and at gun shows. We think what were asking for is Pretty Simple. Both of those proposals have drawn bipartisan support, neither are controversial outside of this body. And you know, frankly, its about the lowest hanging fruit that we could imagine in order to get this body on record as trying to stop the carnage in this country. And id yield for a question. Ms. Stabenow thank you very much. I wonder if i might just ask in addition to that, i understand that our distinguished leader hon appropriations, senator mikulski, and senator nelson as well, have an amendment that would give Law Enforcement the resources necessary to combat terrorism. We certainly came from a very important briefing today and were discussing how terrorism certainly is an allhandsondeck operation but without adequate resources, other things might not receive the resources they need as well in terms of Law Enforcement. I wonder if you might talk about the importance of resources for Law Enforcement as well and how its our job in the context of this appropriations to make sure that we are prioritizing the fighting of terrorism as well as gun violence . Mr. Murphy well, thank you for the question, senator stabenow. Were asking the f. B. I. To do more and more to protect us from an increasingly complex array of threats, and were not giving them enough resources to do the job. And, you know, the alternative thats been proposed to senator feinsteins legislation is laughable in that it would require the f. B. I. And for Law Enforcement to go to court every single time they want to stop someone on the nofly list from et going a weapon, that it wouldnt be automatic. Instead, they would have three days to scurry into a court, file a motion, deny the weapon, have a hearing. I mean, first of all, theres no way that all of that could happen in three days, but it certainly cant happen with the resources that we provide them. So they dont have the resources this they need right now in order to protect us from this myriad of threats that are posed from this desire of ey isis ands to inspire lone wolf atafntle but the alternative to the proposal we have proposed just is unworkable on its fairks especially given the resources that the f. B. I. Has. Ms. Stabenow if i might just clarify again with the distinguished senator, so were all clear. Right now you can be stopped from getting on an airplane mr. Murphy right. Ms. Stabenow because youre on a terror watch list. But you can choose rather than gelgt on that getting hon that plane to go buy a gun and go p into 00 nightclub in or l. A. N. Diin orlando and have d terrorism occur. Is that whats happening now that republican colleagues are saying should continue by not not that they want the violence to continue, but theyre not willing to act to stop people from getting a gun who are on the terrorist nofly list . Mr. Murphy that is correct. And im still waiting for one of our republican colleagues to come down to the floor and suggest that the individuals on the nofly list have their right to fly restored, because if you are so worried about the wrong people being hon thatly, then you should come down to the floor and propose that those individuals be able to get on a plane. But no one is proposing that because you would be tarred and feathered by your constituents if you proposed that. And, thus, it is, you know, i think hard to understand why there is a belief that none of these people should fly, but all of these people should be able to buyassault weapons. Ms. Stabenow and i think the American People are scratching their heads at this moment. Hopefully the colleagues on the other side will join us to close this incredible loophole. Mr. Murphy i thank my colleague. My friend from mass is on the floor. I would yield without losing plight to the floor. Mr. Markey i thank the gentleman. I ask the gentleman, why wont the republicans allow for a debate and a vote on whether or not individuals on a terrorist target list should be able to get a gun anywhere in america . And the answer to that question has not been forthcoming from the Republican Party because the n. R. A. , the National Rifle association, does not have a good answer to it except that they dont want any exceptions to the rule that anybody should be able to buy a gun at anytime, even if theyre on a terrorist target list in the United States. And so, thats going to be our big challenge out here. What are the limits to the power of the National Rifle association over the Republican Party . And, as a result, over the United States senate . Because the American People dont think that we have to accept this epidemic of gun violence in our gun. The American People do not believe that it is preordained. They believe that it is preventable. But every week, 56 children die from gun violence. Thats nearly three newtown massacres every single week. 30,000 americans shot and killed each year is not inevitable. It is unacceptable and it is immoral. We cannot wait any longer to put these commonsense gun laws on the books. We cant wait any longer to make our streets safer. I believe assault weapons belong in combat, not in our communities. We need a ban on these militarystyle assault weapons. We need to eliminate the trafficking of guns into our communities across our nation. We need to ban highcapacity magazine clips that turns guns into weapons of war. There is no reason for an ordinary american to have this in our neighborhoods, on our streets or near our schools. We need background checks on all gun sales, including private sales and purchases made online and at gun shows. We need to crack down on straw purchasing. We need to ban gun sales on sites on the internet like facebook and instagram. Right now anyone can do a search for ak47 or ar15 or even guns for sale on instagram and find guns for sale. Could you be under 18 . Yes. Could you get a gun without a background check . Yes. We should not allow instagram to be used as instagun enabling the sale and purchase of Deadly Weapons in possible violation of state and federal law. We can do something here. We dont have to do all of this this week. But the least that we should be able to do is what the senator from connecticut just outlined. Two steps one, if youre on a terrorist watch list, you cant buy a gun in the United States. Two, you cant go around the background check if you go to a gun show or you go to instagram, you have to go through a background check. Leave all of the rest of it off the table banning assault weapons, all the rest of it. We wont do that. How about just debating and doing those two things which overwhelmingly the American People want us to do. Now back on september 11, 2001, Muhammad Atta and nine others boarded two planes in logan airport. They hijacked those planes using box cutters to kill the flight attendants, to kill the pilots, we do not allow box cutters into the passenger section of a plane any longer. We dont allow knives in the passenger section of planes any longer. But believe it or not, we actually had a debate at the time as to whether or not every bag that goes on to a passenger plane should be screened. We had a debate that lasted for four years as to whether or not the cargo which goes into the bottom of a plane should be screened. Four years. The cargo industry did not want it. The Airline Industry said it would be too much of an inconvenience. Who in america wanted to fly on a plane that had cargo underneath their feet that had not been screened after 9 11 . After Muhammad Atta . Well, we finally won that issue, and everyone accepts the wisdom of ensuring that that screening takes place on every single passenger flight in america because otherwise thats where the new Muhammad Atta would find the aperture to create the disaster in the air. They are smart people. Theyre cunning people. Theyre trying to find the opening. Theyre trying to find the weakness. Theyre trying to find the achilles heel in our system so they can kill americans. Well, thats whats happening here. Theres another achilles heel, and that achilles heel is the fact that the n. R. A. Has a vicelike grip on the United States senate and the United States congress. They will not let it go. They will not make it possible for us to have a straight upanddown vote on whether or not this latter day Muhammad Atta on a terror target list can buy a gun, buy an assault weapon in the United States. Whether or not this new Muhammad Atta, this new terrorist group can buy assault weapons at gun shows without any background checks whatsoever. And to then use those weapons to kill innocent american citizens. How can the n. R. A. Align itself with latterday Muhammad Attas, with the latterday tsarnaev brothers . How can the n. R. A. Do that . How can the Republican Party align themselves with the n. R. A. If thats their agenda . These are the votes which we should be having. Its very simple. If you cannot fly, you should not be allowed to buy a weapon in america. If youre a terrorist and youre not permitted to fly in our country, how can we have a system at that allows you simultaneously to buy an assault weapon that could kill dozens of people or more . So we know whats at the top of the terrorist target list in our country. We know what theyre trying to do. They try to bring down planes. They try to find ways in which they can terrorize otherwise innocent communities in our country to spread the terror. And we know where the achilles heels are. We shut it down when it came to airlines. We can shut it down here when it comes to the purchase of weapons if youve already been identified as being on a terror target list. The watch list. The f. B. I. Is looking at you, but you can still buy an assault weapon. It makes no sense, ladies and gentlemen. How many times do we have to learn the lesson until we finally act . Is this not enough . Is what happened in orlando not enough . 49 people dead, gay, 44 out of 49 names latino. A hate crime, a terror attack; all of it. Do we really need more . Do we need another and another and another . Because we know the day is coming when this law is going to change. The test of us is that we do it before more innocent lives are lost, that we have these two bills that senator murphy referred to brought out here on to the floor. That we block this open door for terrorists to be able to kill in our country, to be able to purchase these weapons of mass destruction that kill at a level that is almost unimaginable. So i thank my friends once again, and i ask a question of the Republican Leadership why cant we have this debate . Why cant we have these votes . Now i know the answer. Its that the n. R. A. , the National Rifle association, does not want those votes. But our job as elected officials is to ensure that n. R. A. Stands for not relevant anymore. In american politics, after orlando, after this massacre, thats our historic challenge out here today. And so i thank the senator from connecticut, the senator from new jersey, the senator from connecticuts colleague senator blumenthal, and for all the members who have participated in this debate, discussion, filibuster. This is the issue. This is the time. This is the place. We are the people who have to resolve this issue. People will look back and they will ask did we try . Did we really try to put a ban on the purchase of these weapons by these terror target list people in our own country . Thats going to be the test for us. We cant fight the battles over in aleppo. We cant fight the battles over in fallujah but we can fight the battle on the streets of america. We know what has to be done. This body has to have the courage to say to the n. R. A. , no, its too much. Our country is bleeding. Families are hurting. We dont want to see it happen again. This is going to be the challenge of this week and next week and every week until we have these votes and until we close these loopholes. I thank the gentleman again from connecticut for conducting this very important discussion, and i yield back to him. Mr. Murphy i thank the gentleman for his remarks, and i thank him for his focus on assault weapons. Were asking for two different proposals here to come before the senate. Not one on banning assault weapons, but it remains a passion of many of us, one of the most gruesome facts from the newtown killings is that there were 20 kids who were shot with that weapon and not one of them survived. All 20 of them died, and that speaks to the epic lifeending power of an exceptional weapon. I would yield to the Ranking Member of the security committee, the senator from delaware, without losing my right to the floor. Mr. Carper i want to thank our colleague from, colleagues from connecticut for inviting us here and encouraging us to have this conversation. I come with many of my colleagues ive come with senator murphy from a briefing by three topping officials in this country who deal with Homeland Security and Law Enforcement. One of the questions that was asked was, deals with the ability of someone whos on a terrorist watch list be denied the opportunity to fly in an airplane and then whether or not that same person on a terrorist watch list can be denied the opportunity to buy a, for example, an assault weapon. And the answer is, i think, shocking and disappointing. A person who is on a terrorist watch list can and will be denied the opportunity to fly in an airplane with other people. That makes sense. But what doesnt make sense is that same person who is denied the ability to fly in an airplane because he or she is on a terrorist watch list can go into a gun show or a gun store and buy a weapon, including an assault weapon. That just makes no sense to me. That makes no sense to me. I would add two or three other points, if i may. Then i will stop and yield to others, including the senator from wisconsin who was kind enough to allow me to say a few words. Thank you. But the number of people who want to leave this country and go to link up with isis and be a fighter, that number has dropped and continues to drop dramatically, down to one per month now. In the u. S. Down to one per month. And one of the reasons why that number continues to drop and drop dramatically is because isis is on the run. Isis i think earlier on was regarded as a wing team. No more. Winning team. No more. They are being regarded as a losing team. We asked the question of the secretary of Homeland Security, is it true that since 9 11, every american who has died in this country at the hands of a jihadi terrorist, have they died at the hands of someone who is from another country and has come in and slipped in secretly or covertly. Every person who has died in this country, an american citizen, has been killed by someone who is a u. S. Citizen or someone who is a legal resident here. And the secretary of Homeland Security is pleading with us to give his department the ability to create extremism capability within that department, to improve rather that would enable us to establish partnerships, with the muslim communities, with faith organizations, other organizations to be able to reach out and work with them to reduce the likelihood that folks who are already here who could be radicalized will not be radicalized. I just appreciate very much the chance to share a couple of those takeaways from what i thought was a very important briefing. My thanks to the senator from wisconsin for allowing me to slip in at this point in the discussion. Mr. Murphy i thank the gentleman from delaware. We talked about that earlier on the floor, this notion that isis is on retreat inside the middle east, and they have only a handful of motivations remaining for people to join their movement. No longer is the inevitable geographic expansion of the caliphate available to them as a reason for recruitment, but the belief the argument that the east is at war with the west certainly is Still Available to them, especially if we react the wrong way to the threat thats presented to us. And so we have not frankly gotten into a discussion thus far on this floor about what one of the president ial candidates is proposing, but part of the reason we are demanding a vote on these measures is because these are the right ways to respond. There is a late ant fear in the American Public that is understandable. There is a wrong way to respond to that that will frankly make us less safe. There is a right way to respond. And i think the American Public gets that because of the 90 Approval Ratings of the things that were proposing. So i thank the senator, and i would yield to the senator from wisconsin for a question without losing my right to the floor. Ms. Baldwin through the chair, i would like to ask a question about the tragic massacre in orlando, but i wanted to lead into that by first of all thanking and deeply appreciating the work and efforts of my colleague from connecticut who
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