Sen. Richard Blumenthal got Santa Clarita news while debating gun control on Senate floor
A Democratic senator was giving a speech on the Senate floor Thursday morning advocating for stronger gun control measures when an aide handed him a note, informing him there had been a shooting at a high school in California.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut was speaking about a push for universal background checks as news of the shooting was breaking from the other side of the country at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita.
"We are complicit in these deaths if we fail to act," Blumenthal said as he read what was on the slip of paper.
Without missing a beat, he continued, "As I speak, on the floor right now, there is a school shooting in Santa [Clarita], Calif. How can we turn the other way? How can we refuse to see that shooting in real time, demanding our attention, requiring our action?"
A gunman opened fire on five other students at the Los Angeles County high school, according to authorities, killing two and wounding four, including the suspected shooter. All the victims are between the ages of 14 and 16.
Blumenthal and his fellow senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, had been advocating on the floor for Republicans to take up gun control legislation for a vote. Murphy's motion was blocked by a GOP senator.
The two Democrats from Connecticut have spoken strongly in favor of gun control legislation in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn.
As I was on the Senate floor speaking about the need for universal background checks—after Rs blocked a vote today—I heard this devastating news. To the victims&families, we can't take back the loss&fear you're feeling, but we'll keep fighting to end this epidemic of violence. https://t.co/i3cqgBk1Sm pic.twitter.com/6Mg7L5NtR6
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) November 14, 2019
More: A day of 'horror' at Santa Clarita high school: 2 dead after student shoots 5, then himself
"It is truly outrageous that at the very same time the Santa Clarita school shooting was happening, Senate Republicans—led by Mitch McConnell—refused to pass gun safety legislation," Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2020 Democratic candidate, tweeted.
Several Democratic lawmakers called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take action Thursday, and the nickname #MassacreMitch trended on Twitter.
"We are complicit if we fail to act. It is not just a political responsibility. It is a moral imperative. And the unconscionable loss of life is our responsibility," Blumenthal said on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Santa Clarita: Blumenthal learned of shooting during gun control talk
