Sen. Ted Cruz is “horrified” that politicians have exploited the Sandy Hook shooting to attempt to take away the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
The Texas Republican, who spoke at the POLITICO New Leaders Brunch on Sunday morning, condemned the politicization of the tragedy and said President Obama’s 23 gun proposals would do more harm than good.
“You can’t watch what happened at Newtown without being horrified,” he said. “But I’m also horrified at the efforts of politicians to use that tragedy to strip away the liberties of law-abiding citizens. None of these proposals the President’s laying out would have done anything to prevent Newtown, but they will — if passed — infringe on the Constitutional rights of Americans.”
Cruz said he would fight Obama’s proposals in the Senate and work to spread the truth about so-called ‘assault weapons.’ He said the assault weapons ban plays on “semantics,” playing on people’s fear of “scary-looking guns.”
“The assault weapons ban is one of the silliest pieces of law ever enacted,” Cruz said. “It’s a ban on cosmetics. It’s a ban on pistol grips and folding stocks.”
Cruz admitted he owns one gun, a Taurus .357 Magnum. The Senator also said the Sandy Hook tragedy had not changed most Americans’ views on guns.
“It has changed public opinion in the chattering classes of Washington,” Cruz said. He added that beyond Manhattan and Washington, ordinary people “cherish their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
