Sen. Ted Cruz took aim at Democrats for proposing more gun control in the wake of recent shootings in Colorado and Georgia.
“What happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns for law-abiding citizens because that’s their political objective,” Cruz said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. “Not only does it not reduce crime, it makes it worse. The jurisdictions in this country, with the strictest gun control, have among the highest rates of crime and murder. When you disarm law-abiding citizens, you make them more likely to be victims. If you want to stop these murders, go after the murderers.”
“The Democrats who want to take away the guns from those potential victims would create more victims of crimes, not less…
Thoughts and prayers alone are not enough. We need action.”
Sen @TedCruz calls for new gun laws that don’t “scapegoat innocent, law-abiding citizens.” pic.twitter.com/Byl8Z3u9p9
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 23, 2021
Cruz also took aim at Democrats for mocking prayer, saying that he agreed it was time for “action,” but he would not “apologize for thoughts and prayers.”
“Every year firearms are used in a defensive capacity, to defend women, children, families, roughly a million times a year in the United States. And the Democrats who want to take away the guns from those potential victims would create more victims of crimes, not less,” Cruz said. “I agree it’s a time for actions, and by the way, I don’t apologize for thoughts or prayers, I will lift up and pray for people who are hurting, and I believe in the power of prayer. And the contempt of Democrats for prayers is an odd sociological thing, but I also agree thoughts and prayers alone or not enough. We need action.”
TEN PEOPLE DEAD AFTER COLORADO SUPERMARKET SHOOTING
The Texas Republican also slammed Democrats for accusing Republicans of being unwilling to take action, citing legislation he co-sponsored in 2013 along with Sen. Chuck Grassley that would have more strictly enforced background check violations while combating straw purchases and arms trafficking.
“That is false, and you know that’s false, because Sen. Grassley and I together introduced legislation, Grassley, Cruz, targeted at violent criminals, targeted at felons, targeted at fugitives targeted at those with serious mental disease, to stop them from getting firearms to put them in prison when they try to illegally by guns,” Cruz said.
Cruz noted that his legislation received a “majority vote on the Senate floor” with the support of “nine Democratic senators” but did not become law because of a Democratic-led filibuster.
Cruz then said he was reintroducing the 2013 legislation while warning Democrats not to attempt another filibuster.
“Today Chairman Grassley and I are introducing again Grassley/Cruz and I would ask Senate Democrats, including some of our newer colleagues who just got here, not to participate again in the shameful filibuster that this body engaged in in 2013,” Cruz said.
“Let’s target the bad guys, the felons, fugitives, those with mental disease,” Cruz continued. “Let’s put them in jail, let’s stop them from getting guns, let’s not scapegoat innocent law-abiding citizens and let’s not target their constitutional rights.”
The Senator’s remarks come one day after a mass shooting in a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket left 10 people dead, including one police officer.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
That shooting followed a mass murder last week in Atlanta, Georgia, where a lone gunmen fatally shot eight people working in area massage parlors.
The two incidents have reignited the debate around gun control.
