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Senate filibuster ends after Republicans agree to hold vote on gun control measures

Democratic senators concluded their standoff early Thursday morning with Republicans saying they will vote on measures to expand background checks and prevent people on US terrorism watch lists from buying guns.
Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Senate Democrats have ended the nearly 15-hour long filibuster they instigated in an attempt to push for action on gun control reform, with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy saying Republicans have agreed to hold votes on measures to expand background checks and prevent people on US terrorism watch lists from buying guns.

Democrats stalled Senate proceedings on Wednesday in a bid to push for tougher gun control legislation and had planned to speak on the Senate floor through out the night. The filibuster came to a close early Thursday morning.

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"We still have to get from here to there, but we did not have that commitment when we started," Washington Post reported, quoting Murphy.

Democrats are specifically pushing for a vote on two amendments on a spending bill currently under debate. The proposed measures would require universal background checks and prevent people on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns altogether.

Speaking on the senate floor during the filibuster, Murphy said lawmakers should "not proceed with debate on amendments to this bill until we have figured out a way to come together on, at the very least, two simple ideas."

Murphy's attempt to pressure Republicans comes just days after a gunman shot and killed 49 people in Orlando with an assault rifle. The attacker had previously been under investigation by the FBI for links to terrorism but was still able to obtain the firearm legally.

Legislation barring those who are being investigated for terrorism from buying guns was introduced last year by Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein, but failed to go anywhere due to lack of support from Republicans. Republican Senator John Cornyn introduced a compromise measure that would leave it up to a judge to decide if an individual on the terrorist watch list would be able to purchase a gun, but so far the two parties have yet to come together on a unified approach.

Murphy became one of Capitol Hill's most vocal proponents for gun control after 20 children and six adults were gunned down in the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. Murphy represented the district that included Newtown when he was in the House of Representatives.

Senate Democrats were not the only ones loudly protesting Republicans' refusal to pass gun control legislation this week. During a legislative session in the House of Representatives on Monday, Speaker Paul Ryan called for a moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando shooting, which House Democrats responded to with angry shouts of criticism. Some Democrats walked out of the chamber altogether to protest Ryan's refusal to hear legislation aimed at restricting the sale and purchase of firearms.

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