JOHNSTON, Iowa – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) campaigned at an Iowa indoor shooting range on Friday, defending gun rights two days after another mass shooting and announcing the formation of a “National Second Amendment Coalition” to represent gun-rights supporters.
“You don’t stop bad guys by taking away our guns, you stop bad guys by using our guns,” Cruz told a room full of voters, referring to the shooting on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 people dead and another 21 injured.
The Texas senator didn’t waste any time Friday, directly criticizing the media and Democrats for “politicizing any crime or tragedy” and focusing on gun control.
“Folks in the media ask on behalf of the Democrats, ‘Isn’t it insensitive to do a Second Amendment rally after the shooting?'” Cruz said mockingly. “I really don’t view our job as being sensitive to Islamic terrorists.”
Cruz pointed out the location of the latest attack -- a social services center in a state with strict gun regulations -- and claimed those gun laws had prevented citizens from defending themselves.
“Does anyone else in this room notice that shooting after shooting after shooting occurs in so-called gun-free zones?” Cruz asked rhetorically, as the crowd erupted in applause.
Advertisement
“California has among the strictest gun control laws in the country,” he continued. “Brady Center gives five states an A- for being the very toughest and taking away the constitutional rights of its citizens. Yet what do all the Democrats say? ‘These great gun control laws -- we need more of them.'”
Cruz called gun control an “abysmal failure,” suggesting that California’s strict gun laws made it a prime location for a terror attack.
“Look, if you’re a lunatic, ain’t nothing better than having a bunch of targets you know are going to be unarmed,” he said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the campaign event, Cruz criticized the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting, expressing concern that the media were airing footage from inside the home of shooting suspects Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik.
“It appears a search warrant was executed and law enforcement left and media are now walking freely in a crime scene, that makes no sense,” the first-term senator said. “The FBI should have secured that location and should be scouring it for evidence."
Advertisement
Cruz also slammed the Obama administration for consistently failing to target radical Islamic terrorists, and claimed it had the intelligence needed to prevent past attacks like the Boston bombing in 2013 and the Fort Hood shooting in 2009.
“This is a consistent failure,” he said to a group of reporters here. “The Obama administration had the information to prevent these attacks. Because the Obama administration, as an iron-clad rule, will not even acknowledge that radical Islamic terrorism exists, it has been utterly ineffective at targeting the bad guys.”
During the event, Cruz announced the campaign has signed up more than 24,000 gun-rights supporters across the country, one thousand of whom are from the early-primary state.
In the last few weeks, Cruz has been gaining momentum in Iowa, picking up coveted endorsements in the state and rising significantly in the polls. A recent Quinnipiac University poll of likely Republican caucus-goers shows him Texas at 23 percent, overtaking Carson in the second spot and finishing within the margin of error of Trump.
Cruz, acknowledging his success in Iowa, highlighted the number of attacks headed in his direction in the last couple weeks, specifically calling out President Barack Obama, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and a negative New York Times editorial for criticizing him.
Advertisement
“I want to say from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and the New York Times for that powerful endorsement,” he said with a smirk. “You know what, they are right. If you’re a gun-grabbing, big government, debt-loving, weak-America leftist, then a Cruz campaign is your nightmare.”
Pivotal Moments In The U.S. Gun Control Debate
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.