As we noted earlier today, Senate Democrats, led by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, ended their 15-hour filibuster early this morning after the Republicans who control the Senate conceded to allow votes on two proposed gun control measures. (One measure would ban people on the government’s terrorist watch list from legally obtaining guns, while the other would expand background checks to purchases made at gun shows and via the internet.) However, we did not note how Murphy ended his speech, and after watching the 7 1/2 minute clip, we feel it’s well worth highlighting.
To close out the filibuster, Murphy shared a story about a teacher, Anne Marie Murphy, who died trying to provide comfort and protection to one of her Sandy Hook students, Dylan Hockley, during a time of terror and chaos.
“Anne Marie Murphy probably had a chance to run, or to hide, or to panic,” Murphy explained. “Instead, Anne Marie Murphy made the most courageous decision any of us could imagine. Instead of running, instead of hiding, instead of panicking, Anne Marie Murphy found Dylan Hockley and embraced him. Do you know how we know that? Because when the police entered the classroom, that’s how they found Dylan Hockley dead; wrapped in the embrace of Anne Marie Murphy.”
Sen. Murphy then went on to call on his Senate colleagues to muster the courage to vote for sensible gun legislation.
“It doesn’t take courage to stand here on the floor of the United States Senate for two hours or six hours or fourteen hours, it doesn’t take courage to stand up to the gun lobby when 90% of your constituents want change to happen,” Murphy said. “It takes courage to look into the eye of a shooter and, instead of running, wrapping your arms around a 6-year-old boy and accepting death as a trade for giving a tiny piece of peace of mind to a little boy under your charge … I ask you all this question: If Anne Marie Murphy could do that, then ask yourself — what can you do to make sure that Orlando or Sandy Hook never, ever happens again?”
Murphy then yielded the floor.