GOP Sen. Toomey Joins Democrat Filibuster For Gun Control

Another Republican lawmaker joined Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut’s filibuster in an attempt to urge GOP legislators to consider tightening up gun control laws.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania has jumped into the heated debate on gun control, as some other GOP senators — as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — have said that they would consider enacting laws to make it more difficult for terrorists to own guns, reports Philly.com.

“It’s time to get something done here,” Toomey said during the June 15 Democrat takeover of the Senate. “Everybody ought to be in agreement in principle: we don’t want terrorists to be able to walk into a gun store and buy a gun, and we don’t want an innocent, law-abiding citizen to be denied second amendment rights because he’s wrongly on the list with a bunch of terrorists. This is not rocket science to figure this out.”

During his speech, Toomey announced that he would introduce a bill on June 16 to prevent anyone on an FBI terrorist watch list from buying a gun.

“There’s an obvious opportunity here, guys, to work together and find the solution,” added Toomey, who has long supported strengthening background checks. “I’ve been speaking with some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I think there’s an interest in doing this.”

Toomey said that he intends in his bill to address concerns that some innocent individuals might be placed on a watch list in error and denied the ability to buy a gun due to a government mistake. Under his proposal, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court would be required to approve a list of likely terrorist suspects from the attorney general. Anyone who challenges their name on the list would legally have access to evidence against them.

The filibuster came during a Senate debate over a bill to fund the Justice Department for the 2017 fiscal year, notes TIME. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not agree to any time limits for the bill’s debate, so those involved in the filibuster will likely be allowed to speak as long as they wish – and they do not show signs of stopping.

“I’ve cleared my entire day,” said Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey during the event. “I’ve cleared my evening events … so that I can stay on this floor and support Sen. Murphy.”

Sources: Philly.com, TIME / Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr