Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) responds to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blaming Democrats for inaction to prevent mass shootings:

“Serious members of this body … negotiated a bill to save children’s lives … Sen. Cruz never expressed one iota of interest … didn’t even sniff that room.” pic.twitter.com/3JJHJd6g0E

— The Recount (@therecount) March 30, 2023

In the wake of the tragic school shooting in Nashville early this week, Democrats endeavor to force firearm legislation to the Senate floor for a vote.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has co-sponsored legislation for an assault weapon ban which was originally introduced by Sen, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

In addition, Murphy seeks to push Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to bring the bill to the Senate floor while the nation is grieving the Nashville shooting.

Per a Feinstein press release, the legislation would, “ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

SEE ALSO: White House Leaves Door Wide Open for Confiscation of Millions of ‘Assault Weapons’ 

Murphy’s sentiments are echoed by several other Democrats.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) stated Monday, “We can’t say that we’ve solved this problem or even addressed it seriously when incidents like today in Nashville, Tennessee, continue in America.”

Durbin, Murphy, and many other Dems also voiced their discontent with Republicans claiming that if new legislation isn’t passed, it is due to their GOP counterparts.

Efforts in the House

Likewise, in the House, Democratic lawmakers have begun considering making an attempt for a “discharge petition.” This would allow for a simple House majority to force legislation to the floor for a vote.

However, since House Democrats would need an additional five votes to enact a discharge petition, it is unlikely to occur.

A recent article by Salon pulls statistics from a 2022 Pew Research Center survey that claims “63% of Americans want Congress to pass more gun control laws.”

However, the same survey also discovered that “78% [of Americans] think the new gun law will do “a little “(42%) or “nothing at all” (36%) to reduce gun violence.”

Only 7% of individuals surveyed think that new firearms legislation would do “a lot” to impact gun violence.

The Republican Response

Republicans in Washington are also calling for change but are taking a different avenue. GOP lawmakers are seeking to make schools safer.

This includes increasing security and deterrence to prevent a future tragedy. However, previous efforts in this realm have been opposed by Democrats.

SEE ALSO: Fireworks at Congressional Hearing on ATF and Who Makes the Laws

“We have to work to protect children at school, and that means increasing security,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said at a Judiciary Committee hearing the day after the school shooting in her state.

According to Roll Call, Blackburn advocated, “I have, and I have had, legislation that would allow for training and hiring of veterans and former law enforcement officials to serve as school safety officers and help protect our schools. It is time for us to pass that.”

Stay tuned for updates.

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