U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said he is having a difficult time passing gun control measures in the Senate, despite multiple deadly shootings over the past month.
Murphy told CNN on Sunday that any bill passed would likely lack measures to raise the age to 21 for purchasing semi-automatic weapons and expanding background checks.
Instead, he said the legislation would include provisions requiring mental health screenings to purchase a gun and “red flag” measures to allow judges to remove weapons from those who are a threat to themselves or others.
“While I’m certainly willing to support a compromise, I’m not going to support anything that doesn't save lives,” Murphy said at a town hall with survivors and advocates against gun violence on Monday. “I'm not going to support something that just checks a box.”
The rules of the Senate require 60% of the body to vote yes on issues for them to pass — meaning at least 10 Republicans would have to vote across party lines to support gun control.
At a town hall, Murphy listened to pleas from Americans who said they have been traumatized by a recent string of shootings across the U.S.
Brenda Mitchell, a senior fellow with Everytown Survivor Network, said every time a new mother has to grieve their child, she feels like she is losing her son again.
“I know that the trauma of gun violence doesn't end when the shooting stops,” Mitchell said. “Twelve years into my event, I experienced PTSD, trauma and I almost lost my life three times from the impact on my emotional and physical being.”
