In the aftermath of a deadly mass shooting at Brown University, Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy used a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” to accuse President Donald Trump of pursuing what he described as a deliberate effort to increase violence in the United States, a claim that prompted visible pushback and follow-up questions from host Dana Bash.
The shooting occurred Saturday evening on Brown University’s campus, where officials confirmed that at least two people were killed and at least nine others were injured.
Authorities launched a manhunt for a suspect reportedly dressed in all black.
By Sunday morning, officials announced that a person of interest in his 30s had been taken into custody. Law enforcement has released few additional details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
During the broadcast, Bash framed the discussion around renewed Democratic calls for congressional action on gun legislation.
She noted that Rhode Island already maintains what she described as relatively strict firearm laws and suggested that the issue extended beyond gun policy alone.
Murphy responded by asserting that legislation directly affects crime outcomes.
He argued that states including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California have seen reductions in gun violence, murder, and mass shootings as a result of strict firearm regulations.
After outlining that position, Murphy turned his focus to President Trump, accusing him of taking actions that he said would increase violence nationwide.
“But this is not shocking, because over the last year, President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country. He is restoring gun rights to felons and people who have lost their ability to buy guns. He eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection,” Murphy said.
Murphy continued by alleging that President Trump had cut funding for programs aimed at addressing mental health and community violence, which he said had previously enjoyed bipartisan support.
“He has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported in that 2022 bill. So, he has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely in this country,” Murphy said.
“I think you’re, unfortunately, going to see the results of that on the streets of America.”
Bash then pressed Murphy on the scope of his claim, emphasizing the seriousness of accusing a sitting president of intentionally increasing violence.
“That’s a pretty big statement. He’s in a campaign to make violence more likely?” Bash asked.
Murphy doubled down on the allegation, arguing that policy decisions involving firearm rights and funding levels for mental health and violence interruption programs would inevitably produce negative outcomes.
“Of course,” Murphy said.
“I mean, he’s knowingly restoring gun rights to dangerous people. He is cutting off grants that have bipartisan support to try to interrupt violence in our cities or to try to get necessary mental health resources to families and children in need. The evidence tells you that when you stop funding mental health, when you stop funding community anti-gun violence programs, when you give gun rights back to dangerous people, you are going to have an increase in violence that is knowable and that is foreseeable.”
Democrats have consistently pushed for stricter gun control measures at both the state and federal levels, often pointing to states such as California, which has been under unified Democratic control for roughly 15 years, as examples of aggressive regulation.
Following major shootings, Democratic lawmakers and allied commentators have frequently renewed calls for additional restrictions while criticizing Republicans and President Trump for opposing those proposals.
The debate also unfolded against the backdrop of national firearm mortality data.
According to statistics compiled by the Pew Research Center using information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 46,728 people died from gun-related causes in 2023.
The data indicates that 58 percent of those deaths were suicides, while 38 percent were homicides.
The remaining deaths involved law enforcement actions, accidents, or cases with undetermined circumstances.
As investigators continue to work through the evidence related to the Brown University shooting, officials have urged the public to await verified findings.
Meanwhile, Murphy’s remarks have intensified an already heated national debate over gun policy, public safety, and the role of federal leadership in addressing violent crime.
Who will they blame everything on after Trump’s Presidential term is through????
There was/is no need to give felons the right to firearms unless as a pro forma act to acknowledge that the convicted paid the adjudicated price for the crime.
At one time I thought that to continue to punish felons beyond the sentence prescribed was unfair as they had atoned in the manner demanded. A brief exam of the recidivism in those ranks and the bald conclusion that there is no rehab in prison convinced me that…well you know.
Finally, if a felon desires a firearm he can easily obtain one.
Some commenters should just look inward to the policies they espouse in all aspects of the subject at hand and in the moment of searching and fearless self examination acknowledge their part in all aspects of it.
What else would one expect a Democrat to say? Someone should be asking him why the vast majority of gun violence we’ve seen this decade, but especially this year, since Trump won the election, has been done by liberals or politically undeclared disturbed individuals on Progressive side of our culture. Murphy should be asked to point out the calls for violence anyone on the Right has made and compare them to what he and his party have been calling for.
The Australians have draconian gun control and two Muslims just murdered 14 people. Get real. Note that the hero didn’t have a clue as to how to work the rifle to stop the killer.