Ted Cruz claims Dems trying to 'politicize' massacre -- then blames Obama for mass shooting

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Thursday accused Democrats of politicizing the latest school massacre and insisted that "evil" would always be present regardless of gun laws.

In an interview on Fox News, Cruz called the death of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School "truly heartbreaking."

"Our prayers are with the families and all of those children who went through that horrible horror," Cruz said. "This horror shouldn't exist. And we don't know right now exactly why this deranged individual did this. I'm sure in the days to come we are going to find out more about what his motives were. But whatever they were, they were evil. And this is a horrible, horrible thing and our prayers are with those Florida families."

According to Cruz, a school massacre "could happen anywhere."

"We have seen that evil can occur whether in Parkland or in a church in Texas or in schools across the country," he insisted. "I mean, there are murderers. Evil is sadly always present and we need to do what we can to act to prevent it. Sometimes you see brave heroes who are able to step forward. Sometimes you have heroes that are armed and can engage the killer and stop them and save people's lives."

Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt noted that "Democrats are calling for gun control, they're talking about not allowing you to buy the AR-15 anymore."

"We have seen multiple shootings recently, mass shootings using this weapon," she said. "You're a parent, you have young girls who are going to grow up and go to school as well."

"The reaction of Democrats to any tragedy is to try to politicize it," Cruz complained. "They immediately start calling that we've got to take away the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens. That's not the right answer."

Cruz, who reportedly has taken more money from pro-gun groups than any member of Congress, said that victims of mass shootings have told him that "gun control is not the answer here."

"The answer is to focus on criminals, to focus on violent criminals," he remarked. "This individual appears to have significant issues with mental illness. I think we will certainly be asking were there signs of mental illness, could we have stepped in and prevented this before hand?"

Cruz also asserted that President Barack Obama shared the blame for a mass shooting that killed 26 at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

"Had the Obama administration simply followed federal law and enforced the law, existing gun laws made it illegal for the Sutherland Springs shooter to buy a gun," he opined. "But the Obama administration failed to report his criminal conviction so he wasn't in the background check system."

Watch the video below from Fox News.