Ted Cruz, Alyssa Milano plan in-person meeting to discuss guns

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and celebrity activist Alyssa Milano are planning to set up an in-person meeting in Washington to discuss guns in the wake of several deadly mass shootings — two of which took place in Cruz’s home state.

After a gunman killed seven people and injured 22 others on Saturday in Odessa, Texas, Milano fired back at a GOP state lawmaker who had tweeted that “none of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent.”

“Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun?” she tweeted.

Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun? This guy is unbelievable and is clearly owned by the gun lobby. #NoRA https://t.co/PxVV1RoV2Z

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 1, 2019

Cruz quickly responded, tweeting that “it is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-give but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty.”{mosads}

“Essential to that right to life is the right to DEFEND your life & your family,” he continued in a series of tweets. “Forcible gun confiscation (as some 2020 Dems urge) won’t prevent mass-murders. But it would weaken our self-defense.”

The exchange prompted a debate between the Texas senator and the activist actress over gun policy, with Milano responding on Monday with a request to “come in and meet with you on the gun issue and many other issues that include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

“I’d be happy to sit down & visit next week about uniting to stop gun violence & about the Constitution,” Cruz tweeted Tuesday.

I’d be happy to sit down & visit next week about uniting to stop gun violence & about the Constitution. If we can have a civil & positive conversation—in the spirit of 1 Peter 4:8 as you suggest—despite our political differences, that might help resolve the discord in our Nation. https://t.co/YfkB97wAA0

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 3, 2019

It is unclear if they have confirmed a date and time to meet. Cruz’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

The Odessa massacre followed a deadly rampage at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart last month that left 22 dead and dozens more injured.

Milano and other high-profile figures, including several 2020 Democrats, have spoken out in the aftermath of the shootings and reignited the debate surrounding gun control policy. The White House is in talks with lawmakers from both parties on gun control proposals, hoping for a plan of action before the House and Senate reconvene later this month.

Cruz, a prominent gun rights supporter who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the National Rifle Association, has opposed gun control measures and has instead pushed for prosecuting violent criminals and “getting them off the street” to reduce gun violence.