Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) said Wednesday he feels “awful” Congress hasn’t enacted more significant gun laws in the five years since a mass shooting in his home state at Sandy Hook Elementary.
“I’m always a little embarrassed when I go back to Newtown,” Murphy told The Guardian. “I still feel awful that we haven’t enacted bigger national change.”
Thursday marks the five-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, which left 26 people, including 20 children, dead.
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Since the shooting, Murphy has been an outspoken advocate for stricter gun laws.
He introduced bipartisan legislation last month to strengthen the national background check system in the wake of a mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
The measure is co-sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn).
Murphy will meet with some of the families of the Sandy Hook victims on Thursday at a remembrance event at a local church, The Guardian reported.
“Obviously, five years is a milestone, and I think it’s important that there’s some event in the community to remember what happened and to celebrate the lives we lost, but also the lives that have continued,” he said.