Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) says Republican lawmakers are going to be “put on record” following the second fatal mass shooting in the U.S. in a week.
CNN’s Erin Burnett noted during Tuesday night’s “OutFront” 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.
“Putting aside Republicans, if you don’t have Sen. Manchin, is this a non-starter?” Burnett asked.
Blumenthal responded, “We shouldn’t be putting aside Republicans. They bear a responsibility as well.”
“They are the ones who are ducking that responsibility and become complicit in all of these shootings,” he continued. “It’s not just Boulder, it’s 100 killings a day, not to mention the emotional trauma and injuries.”
“I think my Republican colleagues are going to be put on record. We are going to have a vote.”
Watch Blumenthal’s interview below:
“Thoughts and prayers are good, but they’re not enough,” says Sen. Blumenthal. “After every one of these shootings, my Republican colleagues say they’re offering thoughts and prayers, but they opposed… measures to separate people from guns when those people are dangerous.” pic.twitter.com/9sVH6NN3Hy
— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) March 24, 2021
During a hearing on Tuesday, Blumenthal pushed for gun legislation to be passed.
Referring to Monday afternoon’s shooting in Boulder, Colorado, where 10 people were killed, the Democratic senator said, “Inaction has made this horror completely predictable. Inaction by this Congress makes us complicit.”
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 “thoughts and prayers” are “good” but “not enough.”
“Thoughts and prayers are good, but they’re not enough,” the senator said. “After every one of these shootings, my Republican colleagues say they’re offering thoughts and prayers, but then they oppose common-sense, constitutional measures to separate people from guns when those people are dangerous.”
At Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declared it is “time for us to do something” following the two fatal mass shootings recently, before suggesting, “What happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens.”
The Texas senator also said he does not “apologize for thoughts or prayers.”
President Joe Biden called 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 “considering a range” of executive actions in an effort to stop gun violence.
