Sen. Chris Murphy says it will take ‘a miracle’ to reach deal on guns with GOP

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the top Democratic negotiator on guns, said Thursday it will “be a miracle” to reach even a modest compromise with Republicans.

Even as he vowed to keep on working for a deal, Murphy sounded a pessimistic note about the slow progress so far.

“It’ll be a miracle if we get a framework agreement, never mind a final bill,” Murphy said. “But miracles sometimes happen.”

Murphy is meeting regularly with conservative Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), the top GOP negotiator.

But they are nowhere near even the barebones structure that could lead to more serious legislative sausage-making.

“I don’t know if we’ll have an agreement, or when,” he said. “But we’re going to have to continue working to get to get this done.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) this week vowed to give Murphy “space” to seek common ground with GOP lawmakers.

The negotiators are focused on which measures from a grab bag of modest reforms might be able to attract 10 Republican votes to overcome a certain filibuster effort by gun rights stalwarts.

If an agreement is reached, it is sure to fall far short of what the overwhelming majority of Democrats believe is necessary to stem the tide of gun violence after the recent massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas.

House Democrats are passing a much tougher package of bills including raising to 21 the minimum age to buy assault weapons, expanded background checks and red-flag laws permitting cops to seize guns from some mentally ill people and criminals.

But even with the rising bloodshed, none of those measures have any chance of passing in the Senate where Republicans have effective veto power.