US Senate Filibuster Secures Vote on Expanded Gun Control Measures

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Following a nearly 15-hour long filibuster by US Senate Democrats, Republicans agreed to schedule a vote on proposed gun control legislation, Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement on Thursday.

"[I]t is our understanding that the Republican leader and the Democratic leader have spoken and that we have been given a commitment on a path forward to get votes on the floor of the Senate," Murphy stated.

The Connecticut lawmaker began speaking on Wednesday morning and vowed not to leave the Senate floor until Republicans agreed to vote on the two measures.

One proposal would expand background checks on guns purchased at shows and online. The second measure would prevent anyone on the US government’s no-fly list or the FBI’s terror watch list from buying a firearm.

While the Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right of US citizens to keep and bear arms, there are calls for renewed gun laws in the wake of Sunday morning’s mass shooting at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub which left 49 dead and 53 others injured.