Wednesday, June 15, 2016, 8:04 pm.

Senator Christopher Murphy (D)Connecticut is in the 12th hour of his filibuster on the Senate Floor in the hopes that he can draw attention to gun violence, and force consensus legislation on gun reform. At minimum, Democrats believe there should be a vote on California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s “No Fly, No Buy” legislation that would prevent those who are listed on the national no-fly list from purchasing a gun. Republicans currently reject this bill because it does not address legal remedies for those who are improperly/mistakenly placed on the list.

A filibuster is a procedural strategy used in the Senate, whereby a minority can delay a vote, or draw attention to proposed legislation by making long “endurance” speeches. Filibuster rules require that the speaker remain standing on the Senate Floor for the duration of the filibuster, and must speak continuously, yielding only to other Senate members who ask, often lengthy, questions.

The longest filibuster in history was conducted by Strom Thurmond as he unsuccessfully tried to derail the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes; it was rumored that his “bathroom” break was taken with one foot placed on the Senate Floor, the other foot in the cloak room and the use of a bucket.  Okay….TMI.

Senator Murphy was elected to the Senate soon after the Sandy Hook School tragedy in 2012, where 20 elementary students and five adults were killed by a ‘lone wolf’ gunman.  Since the filibuster started, Senator Murphy’s staff has fielded over 10,000 calls of support.

You can watch the filibuster on c-SPAN live, and contact Senator Murphy here.

9:10 pm

UPDATE:

Senator Murphy’s filibuster ended after 14 hours.  His closing remarks can be heard here.