A nearly 15-hour filibuster led by Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut ended early Thursday morning after Republicans agreed to hold votes on gun control measures.
The Senate will vote on a measure banning gun sales to people on the terrorist watch list and a provision requiring background checks at shows and over the internet. Republicans may also offer their own gun control measures.
The filibuster comes just days after a shooting in Orlando that killed 49 people and wounded dozens others. Murphy, joined by most of his Democratic colleagues, recalled his own state’s loss of 27 people during the 2012 Newtown shootings and demanded a serious response.
“I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of the ongoing slaughter of innocents, and I’ve had enough of inaction in this body,” Murphy said during the filibuster, according to an NBC News report.
Democrats in Congress have pushed the gun control issue in the days following the shooting. In the House of Representatives, Democrats walked out in protest following a moment of silence led by GOP Speaker Paul Ryan.
Scenes From the Tragic Aftermath of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Police officers direct family members away from a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Phelan M. Ebenhack—APPolice and forensics investigators work at the crime scene of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Carlo Allegri—Reuters Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Steve Nesius—ReutersPolice investigate the Pulse nightclub following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMETatiana Osorio cries while giving blood at the OneBlood blood center near the mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Osorio lost three friends in the shooting. David Goldman—APA memorial honors the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA woman reacts as authorities investigate Pulse following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA reporter pauses at the Hampton Inn where relatives of victims gather for information in Orlando, Fla., on
June, 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA remembrance for Eric Rivera, killed in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, sits amongst a makeshift memorial for the victims in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.David Goldman—APMourners attend a makeshift vigil for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEHundreds of people gather at a memorial outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.John Taggart—EPAA memorial honors victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA mourner attends a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEReporters wait to interview relatives of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMESeddique Mateen, father of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen, outside his home in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., on June 14, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEPresident Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden depart a makeshift memorial after placing flowers in memory of shooting victims of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 16, 2016. Carlos Barria—ReutersMourners attend a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Despite the upswing in support for gun control many observers still expect the National Rife Association to use its sway over Republicans in the House to block any potential measure.
“I’ll push it, but it’s not going to go anywhere,” Rep. Pete King, a Republican from New York, told TIME earlier this week. “I don’t want to sound defeatist, but there’s no support for it in the Republican Party. It’s just the reality.”
