Ted Cruz and Alyssa Milano join forces to discuss gun-control reform

Patrick Devine
Updated

Hollywood actress-turned-political activist Alyssa Milano joined CNN's Cuomo Prime Time Tuesday night, where she rehashed her gun-control meeting with Senator Ted Cruz earlier in the day. What began as a heated Twitter exchange between Milano and Cruz over a week ago, evolved into a face-to-face discussion broadcast on Facebook Live

Milano, who requested the meeting after their Twitter exchange, explained to Cuomo, that like most Americans, she worries about her children's safety and felt that it was necessary to reach across the aisle and have a civil discussion. She wanted the chance to look Cruz in the eye, and say, "You're on the wrong side of this."

During their meeting, Cruz said of America, "This is a divided time. This is an angry time." And though he and Milano come from different spots on the political spectrum, he "thinks it's beneficial for us to have positive, human conversation."

During the hour-long conversation, Cruz listened attentively as Milano and Parkland father Fred Guttenberg plead their case for gun control. And Cruz shared his own first-hand experience dealing with the aftermath of four mass shootings. "I have been with Texas families, crying, grieving over their children, over their parents. It is horrific; it is wrong. And it's screwed up. We need to do more to stop this," said Cruz.

Though the two agree that horrific mass shootings need to end, it's their approach that differs. The Senator said, "What I think is effective is focusing on the bad guys, is focusing on felons and fugitives and those with serious mental illnesses that are a danger to themselves or others."

But, unlike Milano, Cruz is not in favor of mandatory buybacks for assault weapons like the AR15 or universal background checks. The senator expressed concern that law-abiding citizens won't be able to protect themselves. "I want to make sure people's right to self-defense is protected; because the up to three million people a year protecting their home, I want to protect their lives too," added Cruz.

Milano assured Cruz that she supports the Second Amendment and doesn't want to take away everyone's guns. She emphasized that point to Cuomo. "I made it clear we don't want to take all guns from all people. We want to take certain guns away from certain people. We want to reduce the lives lost from this epidemic in this country," said Milano.

Cruz and Milano's heartfelt sit down ended with the actress pleading, "Please do something." To which Cruz responded, "You have my word that I will continue fighting, and I will stop these criminals before they commit these crimes."

Milano explained to Cuomo that even though Cruz didn't make any promises or commitments, he did recognize that this is a serious problem. "And I think that that's a good first step. Look, we need to talk to each other. We need to have these conversations," added Milano.

Cuomo Primetime airs weeknights at 9 p.m. on CNN.

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