Sen. Chris Murphy says he'd 'settle' for scaled-back gun control measures 'because that will save lives'

• Sen. Murphy during a CNN interview said that he could "settle" for scaled-back gun-control measures.
• "I want universal background checks ... but I will settle for something much less because that will save lives," he said.

Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the most prominent gun-control advocates in the upper chamber, on Sunday said that he could "settle" for scaled-back measures days after four students were killed during a shooting at a Michigan high school.

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," the Connecticut Democrat said that despite the party controlling the White House and Congress and overwhelmingly supporting measures like universal background checks, filibuster rules in the Senate are preventing the legislation from passing.

"I won't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, right," he said. "I want universal background checks, I want a ban on assault weapons, but I will settle for something much less because that will save lives."

Murphy's renewed push comes after an individual opened fire at Oxford High School, located in suburban Detroit.

The suspect, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, was arrested at the scene and has been charged as an adult. He faces 24 criminal counts, including first-degree murder and terrorism.

His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, on Saturday pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter — they were set to be arraigned the day before, but failed to appear in court, which led to a search from law enforcement officials.

Murphy has sought to enact comprehensive gun-control legislation since his tenure in the House, which took on greater urgency for him after the December 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., located within his then-congressional district.

When Murphy joined the Senate in 2013, he continued his work toward more expansive gun control.

While on CNN, Murphy said that he hoped to see some Republican "epiphanies" on the issue.

"I wish my Republican colleagues didn't, sort of, have epiphanies on this issue only after mass school shootings," he said. "But that tends to be what happens, and so my hope is that in the next couple of weeks we can get back to the table and see if we can, at the very least ... maybe close the gun show loophole."

"That alone would save a lot of lives," he added.