Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, offered remarks that echoed comments made by Dayton area residents here after the Aug. 4, 2019, Oregon District mass shooting that killed nine people and injured dozens more.
In Dayton then, people implored Gov. Mike DeWine and other leaders: “Do something.”
Senator Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT): "The 14 kids dead in an elementary school in Texas right now. What are we doing? What are we doing? Just days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down African American patrons we have another Sandy Hook on our hands." pic.twitter.com/IALrVON2mV
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 24, 2022
An emotional Murphy spoke in the Senate on Tuesday and said:
“I am here on this floor to beg, to literally get down on my hands and knees to beg my colleagues,” he said. “Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.
“I understand that my Republican colleagues will not agree to everything that I may support, but there is a common denominator that we can find. There is a place where we can achieve agreement.”
Murphy said legislation may not “guarantee that America never ever again sees a mass shooting, that may not overnight cut in half the number of murders that happen in America. It will not solve the problem of American violence by itself.
“But, by doing something, we at least stop sending this quiet message of endorsement to these killers whose brains are breaking, who see the highest levels of the government doing nothing, shooting after shooting.”
Murphy drew on his own experience in dealing with families whose children died in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting that left 26 people dead, including 20 children ages 6 and 7.
“Sandy Hook will never ever be the same. This community in Texas will never, ever be the same,” Murphy said Tuesday. “Why? Why are we here if not to try to make sure that fewer schools and fewer communities go through what Sandy Hook has gone through, what Uvalde is going through?”
“Our heart is breaking for these families,” he said.
Other leaders also reacted to the Texas shooting on Tuesday.
Republican J.D. Vance, seeking to become Ohio’s next U.S. senator, asked for prayers for the victims and their relatives.
Christ have mercy. Please say a prayer for these poor kids and their families. https://t.co/4txxC2A4n8
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) May 24, 2022
Former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, the Democratic candidate for governor, called the shooting deaths heartbreaking.
Heartbreaking. My thoughts are with the victims' families and loved ones.
— Nan Whaley (@nanwhaley) May 24, 2022
No one should have to live in fear of becoming victims to deadly shootings like these as we go about our lives. At school. At the grocery store. Anywhere.
We need leaders who are willing to do something. https://t.co/GLRVvSKpbJ
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted about the mass shooting in his home state and thanked law enforcement.
Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 24, 2022
We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding.
Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the shooting disgusting violence.
Horrified and heartbroken by reports of the disgusting violence directed at innocent schoolkids in Uvalde, Texas. The entire country is praying for the children, families, teachers, and staff and the first responders on the scene.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) May 24, 2022