Stripping Second Amendment Rights Not Solution, Ted Cruz says

Taking away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens is "not the right answer" to prevent violent incidents like Wednesday's school shooting in Parkland, Florida or the church shooting last November in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz insisted Thursday.

"Of course, your reaction of the Democrats to any tragedy to start to politicize it," the Texas Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "They immediately start calling that we have to take away second amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. That is not the right answer."

Cruz said he was in Sutherland Springs the day after a gunman massacred 26 people there, and "that was the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life."

"I was at the hospital with the victims, with the victims' families," he said. "Over and over again what they said to me in Texas, they said gun control is not the answer here."

Cruz said one of the victims' mothers told him that many of the parishioners had guns in their cars, and had they brought them into church, "the gunman wouldn't have killed any of these people."

Instead of focusing on guns, like the AR-15 rifle used by the alleged Parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz, the focus should be on violent criminals, Cruz said.

"This individual appears to have significant issues with mental illness," said Cruz. "I think we will certainly be asking were there signs of mental illness? Could we have stepped in prevented this beforehand?"

The Florida shooting, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is "truly heartbreaking," said Cruz.

"This horror shouldn't exist," Cruz said. "We don't know right now exactly why this deranged individual did this. I'm sure in the days to come we're going to find out more about what his, what his motives were, whatever they were, they were evil this is horrible, horrible thing and our prayers are with us for the families."

Meanwhile, there are armed guards at many public schools in Texas, but "evil" can happen everywhere.

"There are murders," he said. "Evil is sadly always present and we do what we can to act to prevent it. Sometimes you see brave heroes who are able to step forward and, sometimes you have to people like in Sutherland Springs, who were armed who can engage the killer and stop them, save people's lives."

• Gabrielle Giffords: 'If Congress Won't Act, American Voters Must'
• Report: Fla. School Shooter Was on FBI's Radar Last Fall