Donnelly speaks during Senate gun control filibuster

Indiana’s Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly joined dozens of fellow senators in a nearly 15-hour filibuster on gun control the Senate floor, beginning Wednesday and ending just after 2:00 AM this morning.  Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut started the action, urging his colleagues to vote on new gun laws after 49 people were killed over the weekend at an Orlando nightclub.

In his floor speech around 9:15 Wednesday night, Donnelly said he’s a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but believes there are smart ways to reduce gun violence.

The filibuster ended when Murphy said he had commitments from Republicans to hold a vote on the gun control measures.  One of those Republicans is Indiana Senator Dan Coats.  His communications director said today that Coats is working with colleagues to craft legislation that would prevent known or suspected terrorists from purchasing guns, while preserving the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Photo courtesy of C-SPAN.