Swalwell running for White House on gun control: report

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) will reportedly announce next week that he is running for president in 2020 and will center his campaign around gun control.

The Atlantic reported Thursday that Swalwell will announce his plans during an appearance on CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” where he will be joined by Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

{mosads}Swalwell, who is hosting a town hall on gun control next week in Florida, did not confirm his plans to The Atlantic, but said he thinks gun control should be a top issue in 2020.

“We are doing a town hall in Parkland,” he told The Atlantic. “And I do believe that gun safety has to be a top 2020 issue.”

We WILL end gun violence. Together. https://t.co/uJ4XbXaghz

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 3, 2019

Swalwell has pinned a Wednesday tweet at the top of his Twitter page with a voicemail from a man cursing at him over his advocacy for gun reform.

“I’m not afraid of this guy. I’m not afraid of the NRA. I’m not afraid. No fear,” Swalwell wrote.

I’m not afraid of this guy. I’m not afraid of the NRA. I’m not afraid. No fear. #EndGunViolence pic.twitter.com/KcB1FRKnKR

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 3, 2019

Swalwell has said for months that he is considering a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, saying last month that he intended to make a final decision by the end of March.

“There are three questions I’ve asked myself,” he said at the time. “Do I think I can make a difference? Do I think I can win? Because I don’t think — even if you can make a difference, if you can’t win, it’s a hell of a sacrifice to take your family and friends and home constituents through.”

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead and more than a dozen others injured. It sparked the launch of March for Our Lives, formed by survivors of the shooting who have called for stricter gun control legislation. The group last year organized nationwide marches to urge reform, including a march in Washington, D.C., that attracted more than 1 million demonstrators. 

— This report was updated at 8:24 a.m.