No one in Connecticut thought this was taking their rights away, and as the Senator from West Virginia knows, we have a strict background check system in Connecticut already, so in Connecticut we had already subjected these sales to the…

Through the Chair to my friend, it is important to remember that there is consensus in this body that those individuals shouldn't fly. There is nobody who has come to the floor of the Senate and has proposed a law that we should take all…

I think people in my State are shocked that this isn't already law. I think at some level people don't understand why this hasn't been baked into the background system as it is. As you know, this is just simply not a controversial issue…

I thank the gentleman for joining us on the floor today. I think that is really what this is about--not being able in our heart of hearts to go back to our States, especially those that have been touched by these crimes, and tell them that…

I know the Senator from Maryland is on the floor, but I yield to the Senator from Connecticut for a question.

Mr. President, I thank my friend for coming to the floor and asking these questions and making these important points. Yes, this would make a difference. It would make a difference because we know every month there are people on the…

I thank Senator Blumenthal. I think that is critically important here. I would answer it in two ways. The first is to underscore your point. Our Nation's set of State- based firearms regulations are only as strong as the weakest link. We…

I say to Senator Blumenthal, I don't think there is any more I can offer in answer. You are correct that it is both ironic and outrageous. I yield to the Senator from Maryland for a question without losing my right to the floor.

I thank the Senator from Washington. Before yielding to the Senator from Michigan, let me note there are a number of House Members who have joined us on the floor. I thank them for their support in our effort to force a debate and…

I thank the Senator for his question, and I want to thank him for the work he has done as our leader on the Foreign Relations Committee to make LGBT rights not just a domestic priority but an international priority for this country. I…

Through the Chair, I thank the Senator for the question, and let me say that I think that is why we are here. I think that is why we are here. This was just backbreaking. The idea of this body moving on as if it is just business as usual…

I thank Senator Markey very much. I think he has gotten to the root of why we are here. There are a lot of very important issues in this underlying bill. As I said at outset, it is uncomfortable for those of us who began here at the…