Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) says Republican lawmakers are going to be âput on recordâ following the second fatal mass shooting in the U.S. in a week.
CNNâs Erin Burnett noted during Tuesday nightâs âOutFrontâ interview with Blumenthal that the Senate is currently 50-50 and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) expressed he does not support two Gun control bills passed by the House of Representatives.
âPutting aside Republicans, if you donât have Sen. Manchin, is this a non-starter?â Burnett asked.
Blumenthal responded, âWe shouldnât be putting aside Republicans. They bear a responsibility as well.â
âThey are the ones who are ducking that responsibility and become complicit in all of these shootings,â he continued. âItâs not just Boulder, itâs 100 killings a day, not to mention the emotional trauma and injuries.â
âI think my Republican colleagues are going to be put on record. We are going to have a vote.â
Watch Blumenthalâs interview below:
During a hearing on Tuesday, Blumenthal pushed for gun legislation to be passed.
Referring to Monday afternoonâs shooting in Boulder, Colorado, where 10 people were killed, the Democratic senator said, âInaction has made this horror completely predictable. Inaction by this Congress makes us complicit.â
Measures Blumenthal said he supports includes expanded background checks, protection for domestic violence victims, and standards for safe storage, according to Fox News.
Additionally, Blumenthal said during the CNN interview that âthoughts and prayersâ are âgoodâ but ânot enough.â
âThoughts and prayers are good, but theyâre not enough,â the senator said. âAfter every one of these shootings, my Republican colleagues say theyâre offering thoughts and prayers, but then they oppose common-sense, constitutional measures to separate people from guns when those people are dangerous.â
At Tuesdayâs hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declared it is âtime for us to do somethingâ following the two fatal mass shootings recently, before suggesting, âWhat happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens.â
The Texas senator also said he does not âapologize for thoughts or prayers.â
President Joe Bidencalled for Congress to pass Gun control laws during his remarks from the White House on Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said that Biden is âconsidering a rangeâ of executive actions in an effort to stop Gun Violence.
