Eric Swalwell Tries Spreading Fake News on Gun-Crime Stats, Immediately Shut Down on Nat'l TV
Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell has declared himself to be one of the many Democrats running for the party’s nominee in 2020 to take on President Donald Trump.
Swalwell’s primary issue upon which he is running is gun control, and he has openly talked about imposing strict anti-gun regulations that would violate the Second Amendment, primarily a prohibition against modern semi-automatic sporting rifles such as the AR-15. He mistakenly refers to those as “assault rifles” — that would include confiscation of already possessed weapons of that nature and prison for those who refuse to relinquish them.
To say Swalwell’s position on gun control is extreme would be an understatement. He once joked about using nuclear weapons against gun owners who resisted confiscation efforts — in light of the fact that CNN, which by no means is close to being favorable to firearms and the Second Amendment, had to call out the congressman for being factually wrong in his unconstitutional push to disarm Americans.
During a recent appearance on CNN, host Jake Tapper pushed back against Swalwell by noting that so-called “assault weapons” only represented a small portion of gun violence-related deaths and compelled Swalwell to admit that he would prosecute and imprison any American citizens who refused to comply with his disarmament schemes.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate @RepSwalwell vows to focus on gun control: “It’s not just the violence that they’ve caused, it’s the fear, the immeasurable fear that our children live in because they’re still on our streets. I want to get rid of that fear.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/mZfJVHh4Dq
— CNN (@CNN) April 14, 2019
“So, gun control is the central plank in your campaign,” Tapper said to Swalwell. “You wrote last year: ‘We should ban possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. We should buy back such weapons from all who choose to abide by the law. And we should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons.’
“Criminal prosecution for keeping assault weapons. What’s the punishment for people who don’t hand in their guns? Do they go to jail?” Tapper asked.
“Well, Jake, they would, but I also offer an alternative, which would be to keep them at a hunting club or a shooting range,” Swalwell replied.
The anti-gun congressman lamented how “devastating” such weapons were, in his view, based on his experiences as a prosecutor and from mass shootings at schools, such as Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut or the high school in Parkland, Florida.
“But it’s not just the violence that they have caused. It’s the fear, the immeasurable fear, that our children live in, because they are still on our streets,” Swalwell said of modern semi-automatic rifles.
“I want to get rid of that fear. I want to do what Australia did and New Zealand just recently did. I think this issue just needs some bold leadership to do it.”
To his partial credit — Tapper does have his rare moments of actual journalistic integrity — the host noted that the specific weapons Swalwell targeted had accounted for a small minority of shooting deaths.
Tapper also noted that Swalwell’s admitted gun-grabbing scheme — which most Democrats falsely deny is the ultimate goal — played right into the hands of Republicans who assert that the left wants to disarm Americans and take guns away.
“I know you know this, but the vast majority of gun-related deaths in this country are not related to these semiautomatic assault weapons — whatever you want to call them — and the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens who have purchased these weapons legally and use them safely,” Tapper said.
“One of the most frequent attacks on this issue from President Trump and the Republicans is that Democrats want to take away your guns. But isn’t it fair to say you actually do want to take away people’s guns?” he asked.
“You know, keep your pistols, keep your long rifles, keep your shotguns. I want the most dangerous weapons, these weapons of war, out of the hands of the most dangerous people,” Swalwell replied, even as Tapper had just informed him that those weapons are “the most dangerous” weapons that account for the vast majority of gun-related deaths.
Swalwell proceeded to call for background checks for gun purchases — which is already the law — and more research into gang violence prevention and “community-oriented policing.”
Tapper asked directly if Swalwell wanted to repeal the Second Amendment, and though the congressman replied “No,” his confiscatory plans would undermine the premise of that constitutional guarantee.
Congressman Swalwell is an anti-gun extremist who, thankfully, has virtually no chance of being the Democratic Party’s nominee. That should be obvious when even CNN, which typically supports almost all proposed anti-gun measures, is calling him out for being wrong on his facts when it comes to gun violence and gun-related deaths.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
