Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he thinks there is a chance to get the 60 votes required in the U.S. Senate to pass a gun bill.
Anchor Chuck Todd said, “So, you’ve reportedly said you are working on the boldest legislation possible. You know the word I want to focus in on. It’s the word “possible.” What do you believe is possible right now?
Murphy said, “I’m not interested in getting 50 votes in the Senate. I’m interested in getting 60 votes. That’s what is required to pass a piece of legislation today. And so I’ve been instructed by Senator Schumer to work over the next several weeks with Democrats and willing Republicans to try to get a bill that expands background checks that can pass, that can get votes from both sides. Don’t count us out.”
He added, “I think the politics have shifted dramatically since 2013, even since 2016, the last time that we had a vote on background checks. But remember 2019, after El Paso and Dayton, we came very close to passing a background checks expansion proposal that President Trump actually drafted and put before the Congress. It was the Ukraine scandal that got in the way, but I’ve gotten a lot of calls from Republicans in the Senate who don’t want to fight this fight any longer because the NRA’s authority is fading, the anti-gun violence movement’s impact is increasing. I think we have a chance.”
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