The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Sen. Chris Murphy - Finding Common Ground on Gun Safety

Episode Date: June 5, 2022

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy shares details from the bipartisan gun reform conversations following the Uvalde shooting, discusses how the once unbreakable gun lobby is now losing steam, and explains why the current Senate rules have restricted action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Please welcome Senator Chris Murphy to the data show. Senator Murphy, it must feel at some point like you are, you know, going up against an immovable force. It must feel at some point like you're engaging in a conversation that seems to go around and around in circles, but it seems like in and around this time there is some movement, there are some Republicans who have said, you know what, maybe there is something we should be doing even if it is not the perfect solution. Let's jump straight into that and talk about what the bipartisan move to change what gun safety should be in America.

Well, Trevor, thanks for having me on and it does feel often like deja vu repeating itself. Ten years I've been at this. The American public has made up their mind. There's nothing in this country that's as popular as changing the gun laws to make our kids safer, 90% of Americans support things like making sure that everybody has to go through a background check before they buy a gun, but we run up against this brick wall, which is the power of the gun industry and the gun lobby, but you're right. It does feel different this time. I just got off the phone, off a zoom call with about 10 or 12 Republicans and Democrats that are trying to pass something that will save lives, not do everything, but try to break this log jam.

And I think it's because of the very unique cataclysmic nature of this last mass shooting, but also because over the last 10 years, you know, we've built an anti-gun violence movement that is powerful that has just as many members and just as much money as the NRA in the gun lobby has, and that has started to have an impact. So I don't know whether this is going to succeed. I've been, you know, Charlie Brown kicking a football that gets pulled out from under me over and over again,

enough times to know that maybe this won't turn out differently. But I owe it to it to th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th, I th, I th, th, th th, th, th th th, th, thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi, thi. th. th. th. thi. th th th th thi. thi. thi. thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to to to to to to throoooan, to to to to to to my state, in Sandy Hook to give it a try. What seems to be the holdup? What are some of the internal conversations that you're having, you know, without betraying anybody's trust? What are the sticking points? Because if so many Americans, if such a large percentage is in support, then, then, do their representatives not seem able to put those things into effect a their to their to to their their to their their their tha tha tha thiiiiiiiia thia thia thia thia thia thia thia thia thia their to thia to to to their to to to to to to to to to to to to beaqqqq to to to to to to to be, to bea, to bea, to bea, to bea.............. to bea.... to bea. to bea.. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to. to. t. toda. today. today. today. tea. tea. tea. tea. today. toea. toea. toea. toea. toe their representatives not seem able to put those things into effect? Well, right now, this is a problem only inside the Republican Party. Every single Democrat in the Senate would support things like expanded background checks.

And the reason that it's a problem in the Republican Party is that to win a Republican primary today, a lot of my colleagues think that you need the endorsement of the gun lobby, not just because of the money that comes from groups like the NRA, but because, you know, associating yourself with the gun industry has become kind of a proxy for a broader set of conservative values. And so we've got to solve that problem for Republicans. We've got to find another way for them to demonstrate how conservative they are without having to have to have to have to have to have to do to do to do We've got to find another way for them to demonstrate how conservative they are without having to do the bidding of an industry that is supported by only 10% of their constituents. But that's starting to change because now a lot of Republicans are starting to see that if they vote for things,

you know, like restrictions on assault weapons, they actually, we reward it by larger numbers of their constituents than ever before that support these things. So I think the political calculations of some of my colleagues are beginning to change, but it's slow. You know, for decades they were told you can never ever beat the gun lobby in an election. That's not true anymore, but it takes a little while for that lesson to be learned. Let's talk about some of the concrete steps then you're looking to take. You know, every mass shooting in America is followed very promptly by people saying this wouldn't be solved by that solution. This solution wouldn't solve that problem and it becomes a chicken and the egg scenario that never seems to end.

What are some of the concrete measures that you can take now to change some of the gun laws in America to make the country safer, at least, if not perfect. Yeah, and I think it's really important to remember that there's a mass slaughter in this country every single day. I get it. There's good reason why this country pays more attention after a catastrophe like Euvaldi, but there's a hundred and ten, hundred and twenty people every single day who die from guns. And in fact, since Uvaldi, there's been 18 mass shootings in the United States. Now it was four people, 10 people, 12 people, not enough to get the headlines, but there's a crisis every single day. What are we talking about red flag laws? These are the laws that allow you to take guns away

temporarily from kids like this guy in Uvaldeh who is showing signs of doing something disastrous. We're talking about strengthening our background check system. We're not going to get all the way to universal background checks, but making sure that more gun sales come with these background checks. We're talking about money for community anti-violence initiatives, trying to wrap services around at risk kids, especially in our cities, where poverty often leads to violence, that could make a big impact as well. So it's not everything I want, but it would be the most significant set of gun reforms

in really 30 years, and we're closer than ever to getting it done. There are many people who voted for Democrats, who I think would sometimes look enviously at what Republicans are able to do despite, despite, you know, their setbacks. You know, we've seen what Mitch McConnell has been able to do with the Supreme Court. We've seen what Republicans have been able to do with abortion and restricting it around the country. Do you ever consider these options? Do you ever think to yourself, oh man, we should also be to the tools and to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to do to do to to doa? to to doa? to doa, to do. I to do, to do, to do, to to to to to do, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, theyyyyyyyymea, theybu.a, theyb-s.a.a.a. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. I's, theyb-s. Wea. Wea. I's, they. Wea, they. Wea, think to yourself, oh man, we should also be looking at ways to use the tools and the mechanisms that are present to us in America to get something done? Or is there a reason that you don't take that approach? Well, right now we have a majority in the House, the Senate

that support expanding background checks to every gun sale, which would probably save the most lives. We have a president who will sign the the the the the the the the th. T th. T. Tue th. T. T. T. th. th. th. th. th. th. thuuuiuiuiui. th. th. thus thus thus thus thus thoes. thoes thus thi. thoes. thoes. thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. Doe th. Doe t. Do, th. Do, t. Do, t. Doe. Doe. Doe. Doe. Doe. We to t. I t. We to. We to. te. to. to to to. to to. to to. to. to. to., which would probably save the most lives. We have a president who will sign that bill. The problem is the rules of the Senate right now require you to get 60 votes, not 50 votes in order to pass a bill like that. So for the American people, it's frustrating, right? Because they did their job, they put majorities in the White House who support where they support expanded protections when it comes

to our nation's kids and the safety of our communities, but the rules of the Senate stand in the way. Now, when Mitch McConnell wanted to get conservatives on the Supreme Court to outlaw abortion, he changed the rules of the Senate, but right now we are a few votes shy in the Democratic caucus of changing the rules now that we're in charge. So yes, I don't think we should deliberately adopt the policies of Mitchum McConnell, but I do think that when we have power, you know, when the voters have given us power, we should listen to them and do what the majority of Americans want us to do. Well, I'm sure most Americans would hope, in fact, all that you're not Charlie Brown this time, the ball the ball the ball. th. th. th. th. th. thi. And thi. And thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be. I's. to be. I's. I's. to be. to be. thi. thi. I's. I's. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, to be to be to be to be to be toe. And, toe. And, toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. the. toe. the. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe this time, the ball doesn't get taken away and something actually gets done. Thank you so much for taking the time to join us, and we hope to see you again.

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