In a heartfelt plea to Congress, the Connecticut Democrat demands legislative action to prevent further tragedies, asking, “Why are you here if not to solve a problem this urgent?”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a long-time advocate for gun control, has once again called for urgent legislative action following the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on 24 May. The tragedy, in which 19 children and two teachers lost their lives, has been marked as the deadliest school shooting of 2022, just days after another mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Hours after the shooting, Senator Murphy, who previously led the charge for change after the Sandy Hook massacre in his home state of Connecticut, returned to the Senate floor with a passionate plea. Addressing his colleagues, he asked, “What are we doing?” as he lamented the recurring cycle of gun violence.
Murphy, who had witnessed firsthand the devastating aftermath of mass shootings, asked his fellow senators, “Why do you go through all this trouble to become a senator if your answer is simply to do nothing as these tragedies unfold?” He underscored the uniqueness of the crisis in the United States, stating that no other country faces the same level of school violence, where children fear for their lives each day.
“This is not inevitable,” he stressed. “These children weren’t unlucky. This only happens here in America, and it’s a choice. It’s our choice to let this continue.”
Murphy’s impassioned plea for action follows his previous efforts, including a historic 15-hour filibuster in 2016 following the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. With gun violence claiming more innocent lives, including at least 27 school shootings in 2022, Murphy urged his colleagues to work together and find bipartisan solutions.
While acknowledging the challenges of reaching consensus, Murphy called for a pragmatic approach, saying, “There is a place where we can find common ground… By doing something, we at least send a message that we will not tolerate this anymore.”
The suspect, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was identified as the shooter in the Uvalde massacre and was killed by law enforcement officers.
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The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields