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Senators Gillibrand, Murphy and Blumenthal call for gun safety legislation at Capitol rally

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) stood with advocates from Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action to demand the Senate pass gun violence prevention legislation after nineteen children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) stood with advocates from Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action to demand the Senate pass gun violence prevention legislation after nineteen children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Connecticut Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal joined several Democratic leaders outside the U.S. Capitol building Thursday to demand gun safety legislation. The rally comes after the recent shootings in Buffalo, New York and in Uvalde, Texas.

In her remarks, Gillibrand took Republican congressional members to task for continuing to ignore calls to act.

“It is a disgrace in this country that Congress cannot overcome the greed and corruption of the gun lobby, that they cannot stand up to the NRA and those who want to give weapons to anyone at any time for any reason," she said.

Gillibrand has called for legislative support to curb domestic terrorism after the mass shooting in Buffalo. She also voiced her support for Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to raise the age requirement to purchase a gun in New York to 21.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaking in support of gun safety legislation at the rally at the Capitol building on Thursday.
Courtesy Office of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaking in support of gun safety legislation at the rally at the Capitol building on Thursday.

Murphy said the recent shootings in Texas and in Buffalo are not going to become America’s “new normal.”

“We are never, ever going to give up until we make our schools, we make our shopping malls, we make the streets of this country a safe place to live and work," he said. "We are never giving up until we win this fight.” 

Blumenthal said he would push for the measure to be included on the midterm election ballot this fall and challenged his Republican colleagues to stand up for the cause.

“We need to make it a decisive issue," he said. "And we will vote them out if they fail to vote the right way.”

All three senators said they remain hopeful that Republicans and Democratic moderates can agree to get legislation on the floor for a vote in the Senate.

Mike Lyle is a former reporter and host at WSHU.