America Desensitized to Mass Shootings: Sen. Murphy

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy reflected on the aftermath of a mass shooting that left a fellow congressman in critical condition and several others injured at a practice for the annual congressional baseball game for charity.

"This was the 154th mass shooting of 2017. You heard that right – number 154," Murphy said in a note posted to Facebook. "Mass shootings, defined as incidents where four or more people are killed or injured by gunshots, are happening at a higher rate in 2017 than previous years. And it feels like no one has noticed."

"Maybe that’s because regular slaughter has become the norm in America," he continued. "We are becoming massively desensitized to the carnage."

Murphy has been a strong advocate of gun control, especially after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that ended with 20 children and six educators being killed. A year ago Murphy held a nearly 15-hour filibuster on the floor of the senate in an effort to force a vote on universal background checks and prohibiting suspected terrorists of buying firearms.

Related: Virginia Congressional Shooting: Rep. Steve Scalise Critical With More Surgeries Needed; 5 Others Injured; Suspect Dead

"We can never forget that this pace of carnage happens nowhere else but America. No other nation has to live through mass shooting after mass shooting like the United States," Murphy said. "And in the end, the data tells us there is only one explanation. We don’t spend less on law enforcement. We don’t have more mental illness. We just have more guns."

Read Murphy's full note here.

Image via U.S. Senate