US Senate Democrats have ended a 15-hour filibuster as senators signaled a willingness to consider new restrictions on gun sales following the Orlando massacre.
On Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., family members of victims of past mass shootings are pushing for tighter gun control regulations.
"I wish I could say I'm surprised that we're here again, but sadly I'm not. And we will continue to be here again and again if our elected officials fail to take action that prevents dangerous and hateful people from getting their hands on a deadly weapon. It's time to disarm hate," said Tina Meins whose father was killed in San Bernardino shooting.
Pushing for a vote on gun control measures, Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy staged a 15 hour filibuster --- a procedural move to temporarily stop Senate business.
"How on earth in the face of the largest mass shooting in the history of this nation could the United States Senate ignore it in the week following. That is the question that we all asked ourselves when we got here on Monday, and that is the reason why we took the floor yesterday at 11:20 and held it for 15 hours demanding that this week the Senate take up votes on common sense measures to make sure that terrorists and would-be killers can't get their hands on firearms," said US Senator Chris Murphy.
His move may have worked. With the country still reeling from the Orlando shooting, Republican leaders appear ready to schedule a vote on measures to block those on terror watch lists from buying guns. Republicans fear the proposals could be too restrictive and are working on competing legislation.
"As we look at how to proceed, we also want to make sure that we're not infringing upon people's legitimate constitutional rights. That's important. We also want to make sure that someone who's not supposed to get a gun doesn't get a gun," said Paul Ryan, speaker of the House of Representatives.
Democrats also hope to vote on a proposal to close the so-called "Gun Show Loophole" that allows some gun sales to happen without background checks. Even if the Democrats get a vote, the measures face an uphill climb for passage.
