Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) announced a gun control plan outside of the offices of the National Rifle Association, but he faced some ridicule after the NRA tweeted photos of the small size of his audience.
"THIS IS IT!" Swalwell tweeted enthusiastically on Monday. "We're announcing our comprehensive plan to END GUN VIOLENCE!"
THIS IS IT! We're announcing our comprehensive plan to END GUN VIOLENCE! https://t.co/5XepV7qZIU— Eric Swalwell (@Eric Swalwell) 1560794989.0
The plan includes buybacks of "military-style semiautomatic assault weapons," among other significant restrictions on Second Amendment gun ownership rights.
"We're not just here to stand up to the NRA," said Swalwell at the event, "we're here to beat the NRA."
The NRA responded by mocking the media effort for the small number of attendees, which some reports pinned at about 18 people.
"Look!" tweeted the official NRA account. "All of presidential candidate Swalwell's supporters came out to our headquarters today."
Look! All of presidential candidate Swalwell's supporters came out to our headquarters today. No wonder he is polli… https://t.co/BQQU5HdZqt— NRA (@NRA) 1560803063.0
"No wonder he is polling at 0%," they joked, referring to the relatively low support Swalwell has received in the polls of 2020 presidential candidates.
Swalwell was criticized and mocked in 2018 when he appeared to warn a gun rights advocate that the federal government could use nuclear weapons against those who resisted gun confiscation, which he later advocated in his plan.
Here's the video of Swalwell's announcement:
Our Comprehensive Plan To END GUN VIOLENCE!www.youtube.com