Elizabeth Warren Warns Congress Will Have "Blood on Our Hands" During Democrats Filibuster

Impact

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took the floor during Wednesday's Democratic filibuster for gun safety reform, warning Congress would have "blood on our hands" if nothing is done to prevent another massacre like Orlando, Florida. 

"If we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then members of this Congress will have blood on our hands," Warren said on the Senate floor. Among several key proposals she cosigned during her filibuster speech, she demanded "The FBI should have the authority to block gun sales to anyone they believe is a terrorist."

Warren talked about her own state's Pride events, as well as the stories of victims with ties to Massachusetts who were attacked at the gay nightclub Pulse. 

But for Warren, as well as countless members of LGBTQ communities who attend Pride each year, the event is an opportunity to create progress in society. In her remarks Wednesday, Warren said Pride events reveal what our nation is capable of "when we beat back hate and embrace each other."

And while arguing a possible terrorist or someone who can't pass a background check is somehow controversial in 2016 politics, Warren argued it wouldn't be the first time an ideological shift effected government policies.

"In the 1960s, the mere act of publicly associating with the LGBT community was considered radical," she said. "That was true even in places where the community came together to seek strength and protection like New York's Greenwich Village. Pride both helped us move forward and showed us how far we have moved together."

Watch Warren's full remarks below:

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