As we have been hearing, the
shooting in Texas has renewed
calls for more gun regulations
but congress remains gridlocked
on the issue.
Democratic senator Chris Murphy
represents the state of
Connecticut, where the deadliest
elementary school shooting in
American history happened in
2012.
And he joins us now from capitol
hill.
Thank you for being here.
You stood on the senate floor
yesterday and you said to your
fellow senators, and I'm just
quoting "What are we doing?"
You said, why are we spending
all of this time running for the
senate if your answer is as the
slaughter increases, we do
nothing.
Have you heard any answers from
your fellow sell -- fellow
senators?
Sen. Murphy: This is a moment
that compels us to action.
My question is sincere.
I don't understand why you spend
this time being a member of the
world -- of this body and let
the slaughter continue without
answer.
I have been engaged all day with
Republicans and Democrats trying
to see if we can find some
common ground.
I understand Republicans will
not support everything I can
We probably cannot get a
universal background check bill
or a ban on assault weapons.
Maybe we can do smaller things
to show parents and kids that we
take seriously the fear, the
anxiousness that they labor
under every day in their
classrooms and at home.
Senator Schumer has said he will
give us about a week to 10 days
to work out that compromise, but
then he will bring votes before
the senate, either a compromise
that we work on and put before
the body, or something very much
like what has passed the house
of representatives, expanded
right -- expanded background
checks.
Let's have space for debate,
discussions, negotiations.
Ultimately, we need to have a
debate and take votes.
Judy: What kinds of smaller
things do you think are
possible?
Remind us why can't bigger
things get done?
Sen. Murphy: We have 50 votes in
the senate for expanded
background checks.
That is the clearest
intervention that would reduce
the pace of gun murder in this
country.
We pay attention when these mass
shootings happen, and they are
cataclysmic.
Every single day, more people
are dying from guns than at any
time in the last several
decades.
We have a huge surge in gun
violence in our cities, in our
rural areas in the last several
years.
We have the majority of senators
support things like universal
background checks, we just don't
have 60 senators.
We need to find 10 Republicans
that will support any of these
interventions.
We are talking about minor
expansions of background checks,
getting more sales through the
background check system, we are
talking about red flag laws,
these laws that will allow you
to take weapons away from people
showing signs of breaks with
reality or showing signs of
future violence.
Those are the kind of things we
might be able to find 60 votes
on.
We will see.
We will work at it in the next
several days.
Judy: You are saying you don't
even know you could get the
votes for one of these issues,
as you describe them, smaller
Sen. Murphy: I don't.
The problem is that the gun
industry has had such a grip on
the Republican party here in
congress, that it is hard to
break.
But sometimes, when these
particularly cataclysmic
shootings happen, enough
Republicans are willing to enter
into discussions that we can get
a breakthrough.
I don't know if this is one of
those moments, but I'm going to
try really hard in the next
coming days to find that
compromise.
Judy: Are you sensing any
movement on the part of your
Republican colleagues?
Sen. Murphy: I don't know yet.
I have been in conversation all
today.
I don't know that I have seen
any of my Republican colleagues
have an epiphany.
But there is a willingness to
sit down and talk.
That is my job, right.
I went to the floor last night,
told my colleagues that they
were not doing their job if they
were not prepared to be engaged
in conversation about fixing
this problem.
I am going to meet them where
they are.
Sit down and talk about some
changes we can make to
background check laws, red flag
laws.
But if we cannot come up with a
compromise, we have to take
votes and show the American
people where there senators
stand.
Judy: Are you putting any energy
into trying to change the
filibuster rule or is -- we know
there has been opposition from
senator Manchin in west
Virginia, senator cinema of
Arizona.
Any sense of movement on their
part?
Sen. Murphy: No, I don't have
any sense that that is going to
change.
I think right now, we have to
deal with the rules as they
exist that requires us to get 60
votes.
You can see why people are
giving up on democracy across
the country.
The American people did
everything we asked of them.
They elected to congress a
majority in the house and senate
and a president who also
supports universal background
checks, which would undoubtedly
dramatically stem the number of
murders in this country.
Even having gone through that
exercise of electing majorities
in the house and senate, a
president who believes in
changing on laws, they still
cannot get it done because of
this requirement in the senate
of a super majority.
You can see the American public
has a right to be frustrated
with Washington now.
When they do their job, but the
rules prevent us from an acting
there will.
Judy: What does it say about the
senate, about the American
system of government that even a
shooting as unspeakable as this
one, another sandy hook if you
will, what happened in your home
state 10 years ago, is not
changing any minds?
Sen. Murphy: I have not conceded
that yet.
We are 24 hours since this
horrific incident.
And I am going to meet with some
Republicans and Democrats in the
capital in about 10 minutes to
begin those discussions.
I am not going to concede that
this is not a moment where
something different can happen.
As a parent of two school age
kids, and know what parents of
kids are going through now.
As terrifying as it is to deal
with a prospect of your child
being shot at when they go to
school, just as terrifying as
the idea that the adults in
charge of your country are going
to do nothing about that.
My belief is that we could
potentially find some common
ground.
On not giving up.
I'm not willing to concede that
this moment is not different.
Judy: Senator Chris Murphy of