Sen. Chris Murphy: Obama’s Exec Actions on Guns on ‘Absolutely Firm Legal Ground’

‘I don’t worry about how this will play legally’

MITCHELL: “At tonight’s State of the Union Speech, there will be an empty seat in the First Lady’s box in remembrance of the victims of gun violence. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is someone who knows a lot about this, dealing with the tragedy of Sandy Hook in 2012. How do you even assess the lack of progress on combating gun violence, for everything the president said, everything he will say tonight, still no action. In fact, we are going backwards.”
MURPHY: “My guest tonight is Mark Bard, who lost his son Daniel in Sandy Hook. He just said moments ago that he knows better than anybody else how it is to have an empty seat. The fact is, there are 20 families that every night deal with an empty seat at their table in Newtown. It’s maddening, frustrating that there hasn’t been much progress at all except for the fact that last week was a really important week for those families and the anti-gun violence movement to finally get an executive action that is going to save lives, that gives life to the movement and I think to hear the president follow up with it, with what I think will be emotional words on this issue tonight. I think it’s going to sustain this organization and this grassroots effort for a long time to come. And that is solace. Not enough, but it is some.”
MITCHELL: “Isn’t it likely this will all await legal action, lawsuits from critics? Won’t the president be stymied on his executive action?”
MURPHY: “I don’t think so. I think this executive action is on absolutely firm legal ground. This is bread and butter executive function, taking a look and interpreting it to help people who are selling guns and law enforcement. I don’t worry about how this will play legally. What we do need to make sure is that Republicans don’t gut the enforcement that is necessary to actually make this executive action —“
MITCHELL: “By taking away the money.”
MURPHY: “-- for ATF or the prosecutors throughout the country. They are certainly going to try to do that. I don’t think they had have any Democratic support in the Senate. So I think this executive action will go forward.”

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