In an interview on CPAC’s main stage Thursday afternoon, Federalist publisher Ben Domenech interviewed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and asked about guns, health care, and freedom.

In the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida last week, numerous lawmakers and activists have called for more gun control, which Cruz said doesn’t reduce violent crime.

“The Left’s answer is always, always, always: strip the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” Cruz said. “Here’s the problem: it just doesn’t work. If you look at the jurisdictions with the toughest gun control laws, cities like Chicago, cities like Washington DC, they often have among the highest murder rates and crime rates.

“You want to see crime take off?” he asked. “Disarm the law-abiding citizens. The criminals love it when law-abiding citizens can’t defend themselves. If you actually wanna to stop crimes, what does work is targeting violent criminals. Going after them like a ton of bricks — putting felons and criminals in jail. That’s what we ought to be doing and that’s what we ought to do.”

Ben asked Cruz about his dust-up with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, who deceptively claimed Cruz was “afraid” to appear on his show and answer questions about guns.

“I’m quite certain in the history of the universe, no one has been afraid of Chris Cuomo,” Cruz quipped.

After Cruz called Obamacare repeal the “biggest unfinished commitment” for the first all-Republican Congress and presidency in a decade and detailed Obamacare’s failures, he said, “It’s what led Bill Clinton to call Obamacare ‘one of the craziest things in the world.’ About the only time I ever agreed with Bill Clinton — well, other than about Hillary.”

He followed with, “I’m going to get in trouble for that one.”

Ben asked the Texas senator about a message he had for young people who face criticisms on campus and from members of the media for their beliefs.

“I call young people ‘generation freedom,'” Cruz said. “You want to know what resonates to some college that’s run by a bunch of ’60s hippies that are imposing some draconian speech code?”

“Lemme say to all of the young people: speak the truth, spread the fire of liberty,” he said. “We think you should have the right to decide, you should be able to chose what school you go to, what doctor you have, the Internet should be free. No taxes, no regulation, you should speak.”

“That’s a message that resonates with young people,” Cruz concluded. “Freedom works.”