Eric Swalwell on assault weapons: 'Just take the 15 million that are out there and buy them back'

Click through the slideshow to see all of the Democrats who are running for president in 2020. less FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2019, file photo, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks at a Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, N.H. Click through the slideshow to see all of the Democrats who are running for ... more FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2019, file photo, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks at a Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, N.H. Photo: Elise Amendola / Associated Press Photo: Elise Amendola / Associated Press Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Eric Swalwell on assault weapons: 'Just take the 15 million that are out there and buy them back' 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Bay Area congressman Eric Swalwell on Monday became the latest person to join the incredibly crowded 2020 Democratic presidential race.

His primary policy message of the campaign will be gun control, and he's proposing a mandatory buyback of "military-style semiautomatic assault weapons."

"I will be the first candidate to say that reducing gun violence has to be a top three issue," Swalwell told Esquire. "Last year I wrote a bill calling for a buyback and ban on assault weapons — not just to ban future manufacturing, but to just take the 15 million that are out there and buy them back."

Swalwell stated that the buyback is mandatory.

"I'm the only candidate calling for a mandatory national ban and buyback of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons," he wrote in a Chronicle op-ed. "It's bold and will cost money, but it is constitutional and it rightly treats gun violence as a life-or-death matter. Our children deserve better than an attempt to reduce or contain gun violence. Our goal must be to end it."

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In November 2018, the congressman came under fire after jokingly threatening conservative commentator Joe Biggs with nukes after Biggs said he would not comply with the mandatory buyback.

And it would be a short war my friend. The government has nukes. Too many of them. But they’re legit. I’m sure if we talked we could find common ground to protect our families and communities. — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 16, 2018

"So basically @RepSwalwell wants a war," Biggs tweeted. "Because that's what you would get. You're outta your f—ing mind if you think I'll give up my rights and give the gov all the power."

"And it would be a short war my friend," Swalwell responded. "The government has nukes. Too many of them. But they're legit. I'm sure if we talked we could find common ground to protect our families and communities."

Swalwell's tweet garnered far more replies (21,000) than likes (1,900), which is usually an indicator of "controversial" content. The tweet resurfaced Monday night after Swalwell's presidential announcement.

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In his interview with Esquire, Swalwell also said that most of his family members are Republicans.

"My parents are on, like, the Republican National Committee mailing list and a year ago they bought a Trump-Pence refrigerator magnet that is still on their fridge," he said. "I hope that comes down soon."

In addition, Swalwell's wife hails from a conservative family in Indiana.

"And then I married a Hoosier from southern Indiana and she grew up literally in the hometown with Pence," he said. "Her grandfather was a pallbearer at Mike Pence's father's funeral. So I'm around a lot of Republicans."

You can read Swalwell's full interview with Esquire here.

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eric.ting@sfgate.com and follow him on Twitter

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