WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a filibuster of the Senate to call for immediate action on legislation to stop the rising tide of gun violence. Durbin phrased his remarks in the form of a question to Murphy in accordance with Senate procedure.
“There were 488 homicides in Chicago in 2015, the vast majority shootings. Chicago’s 488 murders were the highest total number of any United States city last year. In New York, there were only—only—339, in comparison. In Los Angeles, 280. Cities much larger than Chicago. We have the most intense gunfire and killings taking place on a regular basis. Here’s what was found in 2015: 40% of the crime guns that were confiscated after these homicides and killings in the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago came from gun shows in northern Indiana, just across the border from Chicago. The reason I raise this question is that I believe the second part of this suggested approach—the terrorist loophole, closing that once and for all, and closing loopholes when it comes to background checks—would include putting an end to what we see happening in Chicago, where these crime guns are crammed into the trunks of cars in northern Indiana, and then the people who buy them head to the streets of Chicago to sell them, usually to teenagers, who then spray their bullets at night in gang warfare and other activities.”
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