Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy offered an emotional plea to his Republican colleagues in a powerful floor speech in the wake of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that killed 21 people, 19 of them children.
Murphy called on Republicans to break partisan gridlock in the Senate and pass comprehensive gun control measures that would make it more difficult for individuals to obtain automatic weapons.
He stressed Republicans should join Democrats to forge "a path forward" and "find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
.@ChrisMurphyCT on TX school shooting leaving 14 children dead.
"This isn’t inevitable. These kids weren’t unlucky. This only happens in this country and nowhere else, nowhere else do little kids go to school thinking that they might be shot that day." pic.twitter.com/zeQvKXFixb
— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) May 24, 2022
Murphy said:
“Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate ― why do you go through all the hassle of getting this job, of putting yourself in a position of authority ― if your answer as the slaughter increases, as our kids run for their lives, [is that] we do nothing?”
"What are we doing? Why are you here, if not to solve a problem as existential as this?”
“I’m here on this floor to beg, to literally get down on my hands and knees and beg my colleagues."
"Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.”
The video of Murphy's plea went viral and others criticized Republicans while echoing his plea.
Senator Murphy has it right. Senators, find a way forward to protect our children and our communities. https://t.co/FenIIv3QWI
— Dennis (@arisden1) May 25, 2022
Please start voting for helpers. Those that want to help make America safe again. #PutLivesBeforeGuns #VoteToStopMassShootings#VoteBlueToSaveAmerica https://t.co/npvjq0NG6e
— Linda In Omaha (@LindaInChicago) May 24, 2022
This made me cry https://t.co/SPntyo7QzA
— Kat (@PNWMrsKat) May 24, 2022
I read the horrific headline of the TX school shooting and thought I was reading last week's news. How did this become normalized? https://t.co/7oOz4K1d2A
— Craig (@clooloss) May 24, 2022
Thank you Senator Murphy! https://t.co/J75OnaQJYd
— Angela Marie (@angelaw1031) May 24, 2022
Watch this, he’s right. https://t.co/mhSLGq1rQx
— jacksonjudy (@jacksonjudy10) May 25, 2022
We can't wait any longer. Stand up or step down https://t.co/GM3FymTGbz
— kevrodd (@kevrodd) May 24, 2022
i refuse to be desensitized to this…this is absolutely horrific. https://t.co/GiVQp33Scx
— Dominique Bañas (@DominiqueBanas) May 24, 2022
This.
A thousand times, this.
America, you’re so incredibly fucked up.#America #GunControlNow https://t.co/v4eoWisO0C
— Unapologetically Apologetic 🇨🇦 (@CascadiaDream) May 24, 2022
19 children and two adults died during the shooting, which took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas early yesterday morning. The mass shooting was the second deadliest school shooting after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.
Authorities identified the shooter as an 18-year-old male who was a resident of Uvalde and a student at Uvalde High School. He purchased two semi-automatic rifles through a local gun store last week, just days after his birthday.
The shooting took place just a week after a mass shooting that occurred at a Buffalo, New York supermarket. 10 people died during that attack and three others were injured. Most of the victims were Black.
The shooter subscribed to the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory often touted by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, which states White European populations and their descendants are being demographically and culturally replaced with non-European peoples.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
