Mike Demicco

On Wednesday, Connecticut's U.S. Senator Chris Murphy began a nearly fifteen-hour filibuster to push his colleagues to hold a vote on gun safety measures. In the wake of the tragic shooting in Orlando, Murphy and other members of Connecticut's congressional delegation have renewed their call for common-sense laws to keep dangerous individuals from purchasing guns.

On Thursday morning, Sen. Murphy announced that the Senate had reached an agreement to vote on two measures. One would expand background checks for gun purchases to include gun shows and Internet sales. The second would ban people on a federal terrorist watchlist from purchasing guns.

Here in Connecticut we understand the tragic aftermath of a senseless act of gun violence all too well. Sen. Murphy ended his filibuster by telling the story of a Sandy Hook first-grader who was killed in the 2012 school shooting along with his aide, who died while heroically trying to shield the boy.

I'm proud of Sen. Murphy and the rest of our Connecticut delegation for taking a stand on this critical issue. If you'd like to learn more about the filibuster and the proposed gun safety measures, please read this article from the Hartford Courant.