Elizabeth Warren Takes A Flamethrower To The Senate During Democratic Filibuster

Sen. Elizabeth Warren pulled no punches and warned Republicans that the blood of the victims future mass shootings will be on their hands if they continue to refuse to act.

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Sen. Warren said:

This is not an abstract idea. When it comes to our response to the tragedy in Orlando, we are already beginning to see the splintering of America. One side shouts, “It was a gun that killed all of those people.” The other side shouts, “It wasn’t a gun – it was a terrorist that killed all of those people.” And through all of the shouting, we miss what should be obvious.

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It was a terrorist with a gun that killed all those people. A terrorist with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand that killed all those people. It is time for us to acknowledge all of these truths, and to come together to address them.

First, we must take the threat of terrorism seriously. We must continue to stop the flow of money to terrorist groups and to work with our allies to stop the movement of terrorists and disrupt hubs of radicalization abroad. And here at home, we need to make sure our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need – funding, training, equipment. But we also need to make sure we have the resources to analyze and counter radical propaganda. The war on terror is now fought online and we need to put our best forces online to fight back. we need to work with people in our local communities – not isolate or demonize them – to stop radicalization before it starts and to prevent tragedies before they occur, and to show that nobody is kept out of the American family because of how they look or talk or pray.

Second, we must take the threat from guns seriously. Our nation is awash in the weapons of murder, and there are many things that we must do to address that. We can ban Rambo-style assault weapons. We can take these weapons of war off our streets. We can also close the terror gap.

The FBI should have the authority to block gun sales to anyone that they believe is a terrorist. If someone cannot get on an airplane because the FBI is concerned they might be plotting to do harm against Americans, then they shouldn’t be able to walk into a store and buy a Rambo-style assault weapons. We believe we can close the background checks loophole. Anyone who cannot buy a gun because of a felony conviction or a mental illness should not be able to go to a gun show or go online and buy that same gun.

We can act to make the next shooting less likely. We can act to reduce the likelihood that a disturbed individual, a criminal, or a terrorist is again able to kill dozens, again, with a gun. And if we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then the members of this Congress will have blood on our hands.

Sen. Warren cut through the Republican B.S. with her remarks. Republicans are intentionally focused on the Orlando shooting as an act of terrorism because they don’t want to talk about how a man who was being investigated by the FBI was able to buy legally the assault weapon that he used to shoot and kill 49 innocent people.

The attack in Orlando revealed that America’s lax gun laws are creating a perfect climate for homegrown terrorists to carry out their attacks. Elizabeth Warren was correct. If Republicans in Congress, continue to block legislation to reduce the likelihood of mass shootings, the blood will be on their hands.

It is time for the obstruction to end, and for Republicans to stop placing the profits of the gun lobby ahead of the safety of the American people.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association