Transcript: CBS News interviews Sen. Chris Murphy on gun control

The following is a transcript of an interview with Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who told CBS News lawmakers are choosing to "endorse mass murder" by failing to pass federal gun safety legislation.  CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ: What do you think the difference is here in the U.S., in your opinion as one of the staunchest advocates for gun control in Congress, that prevents this kind of quick policy change to be enacted in the wake of the horrible mass shootings we've had here? Is it the culture in America? The 2nd Amendment? The gun lobby? Or our polarized politics?SEN. CHRIS MURPHY: I'll just caveat my comments by saying I can't really speak on a comparative basis because I really don't know much about New Zealand politics. So, I can talk to you about our politics. Listen, the unique feature of the American gun debate is the power of the industry and the lobby. They are a component of the Republican Party in the United States. And even as their position on gun laws becomes more and more unpopular, Republicans in the United States can't break the habit of almost universally supporting the position of the gun industry.You know, that is part of the reason of why Republicans got their brains beat in in 2018. You just can't win suburban districts in this country any longer if you don't support things like universal background checks. But, you know, that relationship between the Republican Party and the NRA is a really important one to Republicans — and a really hard relationship to break.MONTOYA-GALVEZ: But senator, you've worked on this issue for years. Is it discouraging to see that you still can't get anything passed here federally, while in the wake of a horrible massacre in New Zealand, in six days, the prime minister

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