Both Pa. Senators Joined Filibuster Seeking Better Gun Control
Both of Pennsylvania’s Senators took park in a marathon filibuster that called for gun limits yesterday.
Starting 11 a.m. yesterday through early this morning, Sen. Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut held the Senate floor to call for stricter gun control following the country’s worst ever mass shooting this past weekend in Orlando.
Pa. Senators Pat Toomey, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, joined Murphy. All three live-tweeted the marathon, thanking the flood of supporters who reached out via social media, calls and emails.
By Wednesday night, #filibuster was trending on Twitter. The marathon ran for 15 hours.
Almost all of Murphy’s 44 Democratic Senate colleagues joined in, according to the New York Times. Some shared personal stories about friends and family who have suffered as a result of gun violence.
Sen. Casey read stories of victims who have been affected by gun violence.
Too many stories of promising lives cut short by gun violence. Congress must act. https://t.co/J9IMfuiJR6 #Enough #filibuster
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 16, 2016
Toomey appears to have been the only Republican Senator to take part.
We must work together to keep guns from terrorists while protecting the 2nd Amendment.https://t.co/75yPsPSvZC
— Pat Toomey (US Sen. ret.) (@SenToomey) June 15, 2016
By the end of the marathon, Murphy said he was able to win commitments from Republican leaders who agreed to hold votes on gun control measures. The filibuster ended shortly after 2 a.m.
I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016
15 hrs on the floor. 2 hrs of sleep. And I'm back on my (tired) feet, ready to keep pressing Congress to end its silence on gun violence.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016
The filibuster attracted the attention of Senate candidate and Toomey-rival Katie McGinty. On Tuesday, McGinty called out Toomey to vote this week for Casey’s Hate Crime Prevention Act, a bill that would prevent individuals convicted of committing misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing firearms.
In 2015, Toomey voted against an amendment that would’ve closed a loophole that allows suspected terrorists to purchase firearms. He did, however, support a GOP measure that failed to pass that would’ve allowed the government 72 hours to get a judge’s approval to stop a sale to a suspected terrorist, according to the Associated Press.*
“My opponent, Senator Toomey, talks a good game when it comes to gun safety, but time and again he has failed the test of leadership,” McGinty said during a press conference.
https://twitter.com/KatieMcGintyPA/status/743164030639046656
Yesterday, Toomey tweeted that he plans to introduce legislation to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists.
Tomorrow, I will introduce legislation to help keep guns from terrorists and protect law-abiding Americans. pic.twitter.com/VeWImeBQgv
— Pat Toomey (US Sen. ret.) (@SenToomey) June 15, 2016
*This piece has been updated to clarify Sen. Toomey’s 2015 voting record on gun legislation. It has also been updated to correct the number of Republican senators who took part.
Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.
