EXCLUSIVE–Ted Cruz Reacts to San Bernardino: Now, More Than Ever, Americans Must Be Armed

On December 3 Breitbart News spoke with Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz about the Democrats’ attempts to use the San Bernardino attack as an impetus for gun control and his counter position that the attack actually shows why now, more than ever, the Second Amendment must be defended and the American people must be armed.

Cruz said:

Unfortunately, the goal of both President Obama and Hillary Clinton, is to consistently–at every turn–to look to weaken the constitutional rights of American citizens. And in particular, to undermine our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. You don’t get rid of the bad guys by getting rid of our guns. You get rid of the bad guys by using our guns. And, rather than respond to radical Islam and terrorism with a commitment from the president to keep this nation safe–to kill the terrorists–instead, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton refuse to even utter the words “radical Islamic terrorism.”

At a time of growing threats to our safety and security from radical Islamic terrorists, the right to keep and bear arms of law-abiding American citizens has never been more vital.

Cruz then honed in on the centrality of the right to self-defense and how the Democrat-led push for gun control at a time like this is actually a Democrat-led push against the citizens’ right to self-defend themselves in the growing threat of danger.

Cruz said:

The gun control push illustrates the misguided priorities of President Obama and Hillary Clinton. They refuse to stand up and do what is necessary to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, to defeat ISIS, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Instead, they remain obsessed with disarming the American citizenry, of stripping us of our fundamental right to protect our homes, our lives, and our families.

Moreover, Cruz then pointed out that the gun control being pushed by Democrats is a proven failure already. He pointed to the fact that California has some of the most stringent gun control laws in the country–including expanded background checks,–but none of it prevented the San Bernardino attack.

Cruz put it this way:

I would note that the calls from liberals for more and more gun controls in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings ignores the fact that California already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country–so their policies and solutions have already been implemented in California. And to the surprise of no one, the laws failed to prevent this horrific attack.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.