Ted Cruz walked away from a journalist who requested the Texas senator whether or not gun reform is required within the wake of the Uvalde faculty capturing.

Cruz was being interviewed by Mark Stone, the U.S. correspondent for U.Ok. community Sky Information, at a vigil for the 19 kids and two adults who have been killed by a gunman on the Robb Elementary Faculty.

Requested if there must be reforms to gun legal guidelines within the U.S., the one nation on the planet the place faculty shootings occur so continuously, Cruz dismissed the query.

"You already know, it is easy to go to politics," the Republican senator mentioned. "I get that that is the place the media likes to go."

tex cruz gun control interview
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks throughout a marketing campaign occasion for Josh Mandel, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, at Victory Christian Church on April 29, 2022 in Kettering, Ohio. Drew Angerer/Getty Pictures

When Stone mentioned the controversy on gun legal guidelines can be the place many Uvalde residents want to go within the wake of the tragedy, Cruz added: "The proposals from Democrats and the media, inevitably, when some violent psychopath murders folks [...] if you wish to cease violent crime, the proposals the Democrats have? None of them would have stopped this."

Stone steered that one regulation that will have prevented the capturing was proscribing the 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos from being legally in a position to buy two assault-style rifles earlier than finishing up the assault.

Stone then requested Cruz why such shootings solely happen within the U.S. and why the nation is keen to simply accept such "American exceptionalism."

"I am sorry you suppose American exceptionalism is terrible," Cruz mentioned. "You've got acquired your political agenda, God love you," Cruz added earlier than strolling away from the interview.

When requested once more why mass shootings solely happen continuously within the U.S., Cruz mentioned: "Why is it that folks come from everywhere in the world to America? As a result of it is the freest, most affluent, most secure nation on Earth. Cease being a propagandist."

Cruz—who's scheduled to look at an NRA occasion in Houston, Texas, over the weekend together with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump—beforehand steered that the best way to forestall faculty shootings is to station armed officers on campus, moderately than introduce stricter gun legal guidelines.

"We all know from previous expertise that the best device for maintaining youngsters secure is armed regulation enforcement on the campus," Cruz instructed reporters hours after the capturing at Robb Elementary.

"Inevitably, when there is a homicide of this sort, you see politicians attempt to politicize it. You see Democrats and lots of people within the media whose fast resolution is to attempt to limit the constitutional rights of law-abiding residents," Cruz added. "That does not work."

On Wednesday, Cruz was a part of a press convention hosted by Abbott concerning the faculty capturing which was interrupted by Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate.

O'Rourke, who has continuously known as for stricter gun legal guidelines as a part of his political campaigns, accused the governor of "doing nothing" to forestall such tragedies occurring.

Abbott has pushed again towards all requires gun reform, together with signing a number of payments loosening gun legal guidelines in Texas regardless of a sequence of high-profile mass shootings within the state lately.

Cruz, who beat O'Rourke in a intently contested Texas Senate race in 2018, later instructed Fox Information the Democrat's actions on the press convention have been "disgusting."

Replace 5/26/22 6:23 a.m. EDT: This text was up to date with extra quotes and context.