--- title: Gun Filibuster: Democratic Senators Argue for Gun Control description: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy led a group of his Democratic colleagues in a filibuster Wednesday morning in an attempt to force votes on two gun control measures. canonical: https://time.com/4370255/orlando-shooting-filibuster-congress-gun-control/ author: Jay Newton-Small article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-15T17:45:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:27.080Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democratic Senators Filibuster for Gun Control og:description: They're seeking votes on two bills. og:url: https://time.com/4370255/orlando-shooting-filibuster-congress-gun-control/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8770b4faca4d41c/698897fcbc6cfcddc83dd6b1/chris-murphy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks at an UNDER THE GUN post-screening panel discussion at the Burke Theater at the U.S. Navy Memorial on May 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democratic Senators Filibuster for Gun Control twitter:description: They're seeking votes on two bills. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8770b4faca4d41c/698897fcbc6cfcddc83dd6b1/chris-murphy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democratic Senators Filibuster for Gun Control > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: A History of the AR-15 [Watch (HLS stream): A History of the AR-15](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HWGaHwJx.m3u8) (1:53)  _Published 2016-06-14. The Orlando shooting has once again put the AR-15 back in the spotlight.A highly deadly military-style rifle, it has been the weapon of choice for several mass shooters. In the United States, the automatic AR-15 is banned, like all automatic weap_  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Jun 15, 2016 5:45 PM UTC  Sen. Chris Murphy speaks at an UNDER THE GUN post-screening panel discussion at the Burke Theater at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington on May 11, 2016. Sen. Chris Murphy speaks at an UNDER THE GUN post-screening panel discussion at the Burke Theater at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington on May 11, 2016. Paul Morigi—2016 Getty Images  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Jun 15, 2016 5:45 PM UTC Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy [led a group of his Democratic colleagues](http://time.com/4370337/orlando-shooting-gun-control-filibuster-connecticut) in a filibuster Wednesday morning in an attempt to force votes on two gun control measures in the wake of the Orlando shooting. Murphy is seeking up and down votes on two bipartisan measures. One would ban those on the FBI’s terrorism watch list from purchasing firearms or explosives, a measure that might have prevented the weekend tragedy at a gay nightclub, the [deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history](http://time.com/4365325/orlando-shooting-pulse-nightclub-deadliest-history/), as the shooter Omar Mateen, had been on the FBI watch list at one time. The second measure would close the so-called Charleston loophole in background checks, fully funding three-day background checks to ensure felons and drug users are not purchasing weapons. That bill would have prevented convicted drug user Dylann Roof from buying the gun he allegedly used to shoot nine people to death in a Charleston church a year ago Friday. While both measures have enjoyed bipartisan support, the powerful gun lobby has succeeded in blocking votes and passage of both for years. On Monday, sponsor Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, [told TIME](http://time.com/4366009/orlando-shooting-terrorist-suspects-gun-purchase/) that despite the horrific event in Florida, he remained unhopeful that either could pass the lower chamber. The Senate filibuster could change that political calculus if enough momentum and outrage builds to pass the measures through the Senate. Republican leaders, in response to a query on the filibuster, noted that Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican, is working on a GOP measure banning those on the terrorism watch list from buying weapons. And gun control groups have been working with Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who [led the failed bipartisan effort to pass gun control in the wake of the Newtown school shooting](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/apr/30/summary-manchin-toomey-gun-proposal/), to get some form of these provisions through. “I’m going to remain on this floor until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together on these two measures, that we can get a path forward on addressing this epidemic in a meaningful, bipartisan way,” said Murphy, who has been a strong advocate of gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting left 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7 dead in 2012\. “Newtown is still putting itself back together, probably will be for a long time and Orlando the same. And so our hearts break for what that community is going through.” Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal, a former Connecticut attorney general and Cory Booker, the former mayor of Newark, accompanied Murphy’s filibuster on the floor. Other Democrats, such as Illinois’ Dick Durbin, have also come to the floor to voice support, and more are expected throughout the day. “I’ve cleared my entire day,” Booker said. “I’ve cleared my evening events … so that I can stay on this floor and support Sen. Murphy.” The Senate had been debating a bill funding the Justice Department for fiscal 2017\. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had not filed for cloture on that measure, limiting the number of hours of debate, which means Murphy and his crew could theoretically talk indefinitely. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4370255/orlando-shooting-filibuster-congress-gun-control/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4370255/orlando-shooting-filibuster-congress-gun-control/"},"headline":"Democratic Senators Filibuster for Gun Control","datePublished":"2016-06-15T17:45:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:27.080Z","description":"In the wake of the Orlando massacre, Democratic senators are taking a stand to force through some legisaltion","url":"https://time.com/4370255/orlando-shooting-filibuster-congress-gun-control/","keywords":["Congress","Gun Control","Orlando Shooting"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8770b4faca4d41c/698897fcbc6cfcddc83dd6b1/chris-murphy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jay Newton-Small","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8770b4faca4d41c/698897fcbc6cfcddc83dd6b1/chris-murphy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sen. 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