Chris Murphy
A persistent voice for gun law reform in the Senate, he transformed personal tragedy into a sustained legislative campaign that reshaped the national debate.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American politician·Birthday: August 3·Generation X
Biography
Chris Murphy entered politics young, becoming at 25 the youngest-ever state senator in Connecticut history. The 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in his soon-to-be Senate constituency fundamentally altered his trajectory. Taking office in the shadow of that tragedy, he made gun violence prevention his central cause, mastering the tools of both passionate advocacy and legislative procedure. His 2013 filibuster, lasting nearly 15 hours, forced a vote on gun control measures and announced his relentless approach. While his work spans healthcare and foreign policy, his identity is tied to the slow, grinding push for change on an issue many considered intractable, culminating in the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022—the first major federal gun safety law in decades. His career is a case study in converting outrage into patient, persistent political action.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Chris was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led a nearly 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor in 2016 to force votes on gun control measures.
- Was a key Democratic negotiator and co-sponsor of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.
- Served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism.
- Authored the book 'The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy.'
Did You Know?
He is an avid distance runner and has completed multiple marathons.
He worked as a lawyer for the housing authority in his hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut, before entering politics.
He was the first in his family to graduate from college.
He is a dedicated fan of the Boston Red Sox.
“I've had enough. I've had enough of the inability of this body to do anything, anything at all, to stop the epidemic of mass slaughter.”
