Sen. Chris Murphy pointed the finger at President Donald Trump after a deadly shooting at Brown University on Saturday rocked the nation.
The Connecticut Democrat appeared Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” where he linked the violence at the Ivy League campus to what he described as deliberate policy choices by the Trump administration.
The shooting took place Saturday afternoon at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.
Murphy argued that the incident fit into a broader national pattern that he claimed was driven by decisions coming from Washington.
President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying, purposeful campaign to loosen our nation’s gun laws and cut mental health funding for kids – knowing this would increase mass shootings. He’s in the pocket of the gun industry and our kids are the casualty. pic.twitter.com/xpnqr13PoM
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 14, 2025
“It’s not shocking, because over the last year, President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country,” Murphy said during the interview, casting the administration’s approach to guns, public safety, and mental health as central factors.
According to Murphy, recent actions taken under Trump have created conditions that make violent crime more likely.
“He’s restoring gun rights to felons and to people who have lost their ability to buy guns, he eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, and he has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported in that 2022 bill,” Murphy said.
Murphy suggested that the policies were not accidental but intentional.
Brown University Mourns Shooting Victims
Sophomore Ella Cook, 19, from Birmingham, Alabama, and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.
Ella was remembered as a "grounded, faithful bright light" – compassionate and generous.
Mukhammad Aziz, aspiring neurosurgeon, was kind, funny,… pic.twitter.com/vU4LTS4vfb
— Preetha (@Prelks) December 15, 2025
“He has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely, and I think you’re unfortunately going to see the results of that on the streets of America,” he added.
CNN anchor Dana Bash challenged Murphy’s claim, asking whether he truly believed the president was working to increase violence.
“Of course! I mean, he’s knowingly restoring gun rights to dangerous people,” Murphy replied.
“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.”
Murphy said the consequences of those decisions were predictable violence.
“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 increase in violence. That is knowable and that is foreseeable,” he remarked.
Murphy was referencing a Justice Department proposal released in July that would allow some individuals with criminal records to regain Second Amendment rights following individualized reviews.
The shooting itself unfolded around 4 p.m. Saturday near Brown’s engineering facilities, with authorities initially reporting that a suspect dressed in black fled the scene on foot.
Investigators said the gunfire occurred inside the Barus & Holley building, a multi-story structure that houses engineering and physics departments.
Surveillance footage released later showed a man in dark clothing, and police detained a person of interest early Sunday morning at a hotel roughly 15 miles from campus.
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That individual, identified as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson, was later released after authorities said evidence began pointing elsewhere.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told reporters that investigators no longer considered Erickson a suspect.
“I think it’s fair to say that there is no basis to consider him a person of interest, so that’s why he’s being released,” Neronha said.
As the search for the shooter continued, FBI Director Kash Patel pledged a sustained federal response.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene — providing HQ and Lab elements on scene,” Patel said in a statement.
“We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.”
Patel also highlighted victim support efforts, noting that FBI specialists were assisting those affected by the violence.
“The FBI’s victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence,” he said, adding that the bureau would continue “an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served.”
While Murphy focused his criticism on domestic policy, violence overseas also drew attention over the weekend after a deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Authorities said at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach during a Jewish gathering.
Australian officials described the incident as a terrorist attack and confirmed that the suspects were a father and son, with the older gunman dying at the scene and the younger hospitalized.
Victims included children and elderly attendees, as well as a Holocaust survivor who was shot while trying to shield his wife.
President Trump addressed both tragedies during remarks at a White House Christmas reception on Sunday, offering condolences and condemning antisemitic violence.
“I want to just pay my respects to the people – unfortunately, two are no longer with us – at Brown University,” Trump said. “Nine injured, and two are looking down on us right now from heaven.”
President Trump delivers remarks at the White House, paying respects to the victims of the shooting at Brown University, the antisemitic attack in Australia, & the attack on U.S. forces in Syria.
"I pay my deepest regards & respects from the United States of America." pic.twitter.com/XWoCQ5Orin
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 14, 2025
Turning to the Australian shooting, Trump said, “That was an antisemitic attack, obviously. And it, I just want to pay my respects to everybody.”
He added that the moment underscored the need to stand against hatred.
“I think today we can very say loudly that we celebrate Hanukkah because there was such a horrible attack that was a purely antisemitic attack,” Trump said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also weighed in Sunday, tying the incidents to what he described as a broader climate of danger.
“These sickening events have become far too normal in our world,” Schumer said in a statement, referencing both the Brown University shooting and the attack in Sydney.
🚨 TONE DEAF AF
Chuck Schumer says he’ll comment on the shooting at Brown University and the terrorist attack in Australia…
But first… GO BILLS! pic.twitter.com/LHAiy9xWsd
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) December 14, 2025
He added that antisemitic rhetoric left unchecked had created real-world consequences and called for renewed focus on gun safety and confronting hate.
“We must do more to stop gun violence, including congressional action on gun safety reforms. We must reject antisemitism and hate of all kinds, wherever it rears its head,” he added.
