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Democrats Launch Marathon Filibuster to Demand Gun Control Vote

HeadlineJun 16, 2016

President Obama is slated to visit Orlando, Florida, today, following Sunday’s attack on an LGBT nightclub in Orlando which killed 49 people and was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The massacre has reignited calls for gun control by Senate Democrats, who mounted a nearly 15-hour filibuster. It ended early this morning after Republicans reportedly agreed to hold a vote on gun control measures, including prohibiting people on the government’s terrorist watchlist from obtaining gun licenses, and expanding background checks to include gun shows and internet sales. Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy launched the filibuster a little after 11 in the morning on Wednesday.

Sen. Chris Murphy: “I’m at my wits’ end. I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of the ongoing slaughter of innocents, and I’ve had enough of inaction in this body. … And so I’m going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign, that we can come together on these two measures, that we can get a path forward on addressing this epidemic in a meaningful, bipartisan way.”

It was the ninth-longest filibuster in U.S. history. About 90 percent of Americans support stricter gun control measures, while a new CBS News poll finds 57 percent of Americans support a full nationwide ban on assault weapons—up from 44 percent last December—although this was not one of the issues Republicans have agreed to vote on. We’ll have more on the filibuster after headlines. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he’ll meet with the National Rifle Association today to discuss gun control measures to prohibit people on terrorism watchlists from purchasing firearms. The NRA has endorsed Trump.

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