Story highlights Rep. Ted Lieu wants to pass several gun control measures

"We cannot be silent. We need to act now," he said

Washington (CNN) A Democratic lawmaker walked out of a moment of silence for the Texas shooting victims on Monday night to protest a lack of action on gun safety after mass shootings in the United States.

Rep. Ted Lieu of California, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, said he walked out of the House chamber because he wants to pass a universal background check law, a ban on assault rifles and a ban on bump-fire stocks.

"My colleagues right now are doing a moment of silence," he said during a Facebook Live from the hallway. "I respect their right to do that and I myself have participated in many of them. But I can't do this again. I've been to too many moments of silences. Just in my short career in Congress, three of the worst mass shootings in US history have occurred. I will not be silent. What we need is we need action, we need to pass gun safety legislation now."

Why I walked out of yet another moment of silence on the House floor for a gun massacre. We cannot remain silent. https://t.co/F4j4sCsOFw — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) November 7, 2017

He continued: "I urge us to pass reasonable gun safety legislation ... We need to do that. We cannot be silent. We need to act now."

When asked later by HLN's Carol Costello if he meant to politicize the moment, Lieu clarified his intentions.

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