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.
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.
