Activist Confronts Ted Cruz in Houston Restaurant Following NRA Convention
Republican Senator Ted Cruz was confronted by gun-reform activists at a Houston restaurant on Friday night, May 27, hours after he spoke at the NRA Convention which drew protesters.
Video taken by the group Indivisible Houston shows Benjamin Hernandez pretending to pose for a photo with Cruz at the Uptown Sushi restaurant. Hours before, Cruz addressed NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum, saying, “What stops armed bad guys is armed good guys.”
In the video, Hernandez asks Cruz, “What about background checks? […] Is that so hard?”
“Why does this keep happening?” Hernandez asked.
On May 24, 19 children and two adults were killed when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Officials later said the gunman was inside the school building for “approximately an hour” while officers evacuated other classrooms and established a specialized team. Credit: Indivisible Houston via Storyful
Video transcript
- Hi.
- Hey.
- OK. You ready?
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Yeah.
- OK, hold on. All right, 1, 2, 3. Go. You're good.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: You got it?
- Yeah, we got it.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Sir, can you please tell me why it's so hard to support gun laws in this country?
TED CRUZ: You know, I would encourage you-- I gave about a half-hour speech today iterating that. I encourage you to watch it.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Yeah--
TED CRUZ: Because there are actually a lot of laws that I support.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Yeah, but can you tell me what-- I have a-- I am a gun lover.
TED CRUZ: Look, I--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: I am a gun lover.
TED CRUZ: Listen. And I stand with--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: [INAUDIBLE] can you tell me why it's more Important, why you can't support stronger gun laws in this country?
TED CRUZ: Because the laws--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: I mean, we could do background checks.
TED CRUZ: Because the laws--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Can you tell me about background checks? What about background checks? Background checks?
- Sir, sir, sir.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Can we do background checks?
TED CRUZ: Sir?
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Is it so hard to support background--
TED CRUZ: You don't want to listen to me, that's OK.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: But is that so hard? No, I do. I'm just--
TED CRUZ: No, you actually don't.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: No. Go ahead. Go ahead. I'll listen.
TED CRUZ: So if you look the laws the Democrats [INAUDIBLE], they wouldn't have stopped this man first.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Do you know this shooter waited, waited until the day he was 18?
TED CRUZ: Sir. Sir.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why is it so hard to support stronger gun laws in this country?
TED CRUZ: But hang on. But background checks wouldn't have stopped this shooter. So you know what would have? The bill that I introduced.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: You can make it-- you can make it--
TED CRUZ: Sir, God bless you.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: You can make it harder for people to get guns in this country.
TED CRUZ: Sir. Thank you so much for coming.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: You know that. No, you know that. But you stand here. You stand at the-- you stand at the NRA convention. It is harder. It is harder, when there are more guns, to stop gun violence.
TED CRUZ: You combine ignorance and hatred--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: It is not ignorance.
TED CRUZ: You don't know what you're talking about.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: We are in this country, and there are guns everywhere. And there are kids dying. There are kids dying.
- Sir, please.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why is it so hard?
- Excuse me, ma'am--
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why is it so hard?
- Pardon me. Let me get out of here.
TED CRUZ: Why do Democrats [INAUDIBLE] my bills that would have stopped [INAUDIBLE] violence?
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: You keep talking about--
- I told you there are [INAUDIBLE] guys.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: When you can just say-- listen--
TED CRUZ: [INAUDIBLE]
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Listen.
TED CRUZ: Sir.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why can't you just support stronger gun laws?
TED CRUZ: Sir, I've introduced multiple strong gun laws.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: But why does this keep happening? Why does this keep happening? Why? Hey, hey, hey, hey hey, hey.
- Hey, OK, he's just talking.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why does this keep happening?
- Sir, if you don't get out of his face, I'm--
- Sir.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: And why did you come here, to the convention--
- You need to back up.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: --to take blood money?
- You need to back up.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: Why? When 19 children died?
- You need to back up.
BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ: 19 children died. And it's on your hands. That is on your hands. That [INAUDIBLE] death's on your hands. Hey, man. All right.
- Get out of here.
