Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell asserted that he isn’t intimidated by the National Rifle Association during a Sunday discussion on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The greatest threat to the second amendment is doing nothing. The Second Amendment is not an absolute right. Just like free speech, you can’t shout fire in a theater, or lie about the products you’re selling,” Swalwell argued. (RELATED: Eric Swalwell’s New Campaign Slogan Ruthlessly Mocked On Twitter)
“You can’t own a bazooka, you can’t own a tank. You can’t own rocket-propelled grenades. We should put some limits in place and I think the American people are with me. I’m no longer intimidated by the NRA. The moms and the kids, they are behind us on this issue, and I think it just takes leadership in Washington,” he concluded.
The California Democrat formally announced he was running for office last week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” His announcement heavily featured his push on reforming gun rights nationwide.
“I talked to kids who sit in their classrooms afraid they’ll be the next victims of gun violence. They see Washington [D.C.] do nothing about it after the moments of silence,” Swalwell stated at the time. “They see lawmakers who love their guns more than our kids and none of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold on the solutions we offer, and do good in the way that we govern. I’m ready to solve these problems. I’m ready to solve these problems. I’m running for president of the United States.”