Murphy says guns should be litmus test for Dems

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says in a new interview that it’s important for top Democrats to have the right opinions on gun control.

{mosads}”This has become a litmus test issue for leadership in the Democratic Party,” he told Politico‘s Glenn Thrush.

“I mean, if you want to be a leader in the Democratic Party, I think this presidential election has proven that you have to be right on the issue of guns.”

Murphy said polling shows that swing-state voters are willing to vote on the issue.

“So you clearly have to get some electoral wins here, right?” he asked.

“You have to actually show people that if they vote against 90 percent of their constituents that they are at risk of losing their seat.”

Murphy referenced Sept. 11, 2001, noting that the country made it harder for terrorists to get on planes after the attacks.

“We should accept that cracking down on our gun laws, yes, will prevent more mass tragedies like Sandy Hook, will cut down on the rates of urban gun violence, but will also be a pretty effective counter-terrorism strategy,” he said.

“That is a new way to message this, that we haven’t had in the past.” 

In June, Murphy and other Democrats took to the Senate floor for a 15-hour filibuster to call for tougher gun control laws and action on keeping people on the terrorist watch lists from buying firearms. 

The Connecticut Democrat has in the past slammed Republican nominee Donald Trump’s stance on the Second Amendment, calling it “sinister” and warning he would allow guns in classrooms.

Murphy would be positioned as one of Hillary Clinton’s top allies in Congress on gun control if she wins the White House.