Chris Murphy Filibusters over Gun Control Reform

Chris Murphy

Pol Light Moment #141 happened on June 15-16, 2016, when Chris Murphy led a 15 hour filibuster on the floor of the United States Senate appealing for gun control reform. Chris Murphy has been a United States Senator from Connecticut since 2013.

Chris Murphy started his filibuster in the US Senate in the late morning hours on June 15, 2016, in order to raise awareness of gun violence and appeal for gun control reform (CNN Politics, Nearly 15 hours later, Democratic Senator Ends Filibuster over Guns, June 16, 2016). After receiving a commitment from leadership that gun safety measures would be brought forward for a vote in the US Senate, Chris Murphy ended his filibuster 15 hours after he started at about 2:00 am on June 16, 2016.

I am proud to announce that after 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 16, 2016

Here is the video where Chris Murphy ends his filibuster by talking about Dylan Hockley, a child with autism, and his teacher Anne Marie Murphy, who were killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut in 2012. Note: Dylan Hockley and Anne Marie Murphy were memorialized in 2012 on our companion Autism Light blog.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

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The photo of Chris Murphy is in the Public Domain.

Marty Flynn Uses Gun to Fend Off Would Be Robber

Marty Flynn

Pol Light Moment #77 happened on October 14, 2014, when Marty Flynn used his gun to defend against a would be robber near the Pennsylvania state capital. Martin "Marty" Flynn is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 113 District. He has served since 2013.

Rep. Marty Flynn is licensed to carry a concealed handgun and he used that arm to protect himself and Rep. Ryan Bizzarro from a would be robber who had a gun and demanded money from them on October 14, 2014.  According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Rep. Marty Flynn (Luzerne), a former corrections officer and a mixed martial-arts fighter who has co-sponsored gun safety seminars across the state, traded the gunfire with the robber after he and Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (Erie) were stopped on their way back to their Harrisburg residence (Philadelphia Inquirer, October 15, 2014)."  After Marty Flynn exchanged fire for a while with the would-be robber, he and Ryan Bizzarro were able to flee and contact law enforcement. No one was hit or injured by the gunfire exchange.

Here are some online articles about the incident where Marty Flynn used his gun to fend off a would be robber.

• Armed Robbery Suspect Targets a Democratic Lawmaker — Take a Guess How That Situation Ended
• Statehouse Shootout: Pa. lawmaker exchanges gunfire with would-be robber
• Two lawmakers involved in shoot-out with robbers near Capitol

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The source of the image above is the Pennsylvania House Media Center. 

Gabrielle Giffords Steps Down From Congress

Pol Light Moment #2 comes from Arizona, where Gabrielle Giffords who is fighting to recovery from a tragedy decides the best thing for her constituents is for her to step down. This moment includes an ongoing and inspiring fight for recovery from brain injury and and acknowledgment that there are things in life more important than politics.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot on January 8, 2011 in Tuscon, Arizona along with 18 other people (Source). For a year Rep. Giffords has been fighting hard to recover from a traumatic brain injury caused by being shot at point blank range on that day.

In an unexpected move, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords resigned her seat in Congress on January 25, 2012, saying she needed more time to work on her recovery and she wanted to do what is best for Arizona. She had represented Arizona's 8th Congressional District from 2007 until her resignation in 2012.

Here is the announcement she made on YouTube about her resignation.

For more information on the long first year of Rep. Giffords recovery, see the ABC News 20/20 story on Gabrielle Giffords recovery.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo in this post is in the Wikipedia Commons because it is an official photo of a United States Representative.