Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accepted a challenge from actress Alyssa Milano to debate gun rights and the Constitution following the left-wing activist’s request to expose his “bullshit” to the American people.

“I’d be happy to sit down & visit next week about uniting to stop gun violence & about the Constitution. If we can have a civil & positive conversation—in the spirit of 1 Peter 4:8 as you suggest—despite our political differences, that might help resolve the discord in our Nation,” Cruz said Monday evening responding to Alyssa Milano.

I’d be happy to sit down & visit next week about uniting to stop gun violence & about the Constitution. If we can have a civil & positive conversation—in the spirit of 1 Peter 4:8 as you suggest—despite our political differences, that might help resolve the discord in our Nation. https://t.co/YfkB97wAA0 — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 3, 2019

Cruz’s acceptance follows a tense exchange between the Texas senator and the left-wing actress, who prompted the conversation after snarkily asking Christians to “cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun.”

Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun? This guy is unbelievable and is clearly owned by the gun lobby. #NoRA https://t.co/PxVV1RoV2Z — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 1, 2019

Cruz chose to address Milano’s question from every angle, using scripture, the founding documents, and real-life examples in defense of the liberty that upholds the Second Amendment.

“An excellent Q, worth considering carefully w/o the snark of Twitter. It is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-give but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty. Essential to that right to life is the right to DEFEND your life & your family,” Cruz began.

He continued:

Stephen Willeford exercised that fundamental right when he risked his own life to stop the Sutherland Springs murderer, saving countless others as a result. St. George Tucker, one of the most important scholars in early America, explained the reasons behind the Second Amendment as follows: “This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty. The right of self defence is the first law of nature….”…in most govts it has been the study of rulers to confine this right w/in the narrowest limits possible. Wherever…the right…to keep & bear arms is, under any…pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction. That’s also why, post Civil War, disarming Black Americans was a critical objective of the KKK, and was memorialized in countless Jim Crow laws—to strip African-Americans of their God-given right to self-defense from violence.

2/x The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: “If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.” (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense). — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 1, 2019

4/x And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.” It wasn’t to protect people’s ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families. — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019

6/x St. George Tucker, one of the most important scholars in early America, explained the reasons behind the Second Amendment as follows: “This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty. . . . The right of self defence is the first law of nature….” — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019

8/x That’s also why, post Civil War, disarming Black Americans was a critical objective of the KKK, and was memorialized in countless Jim Crow laws—to strip African-Americans of their God-given right to self-defense from violence. — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019

Cruz ended his thread, discouraging Alyssa Milano and her ideological allies from “playing politics” and using these crimes to “as an excuse to violate the constl [constitutional] rights of law-abiding citizens”:

10/x Playing politics w/ these deranged crimes—and trying to use them as an excuse to violate the constl rights of law-abiding citizens—won’t make anybody safer. Forcible gun confiscation (as some 2020 Dems urge) won’t prevent mass-murders. But it would weaken our self-defense. — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019

Milano did not immediately respond to the individual points Cruz made in the thread, dismissing his response and instead requesting a live-streamed meeting so she can expose his “bullshit” to the American people. She also cited 1 Peter 4:8 – “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins'” – and posted a graphic, showing Cruz’s support from pro-gun groups:

Well, look who is #1. pic.twitter.com/3y6q7zEl5n — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 2, 2019

Alyssa Milano responded to Cruz’s latest tweet, saying “Great. I just called your office. They gave me your schedulers email address. I emailed to set up a meeting. Looking forward to it.”

Great. I just called your office. They gave me your schedulers email address. I emailed to set up a meeting. Looking forward to it. https://t.co/Sz8avRVGrq — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 3, 2019

Cruz has also been under fire from the mayor of Chicago after tweeting a Breitbart News article, detailing the violence that unfolded in the Democrat-controlled Windy City over Labor Day weekend.

“Gun control doesn’t work. Look at Chicago. Disarming law-abiding citizens isn’t the answer,” Cruz tweeted. “Stopping violent criminals—prosecuting & getting them off the street—BEFORE they commit more violent crimes is the most effective way to reduce murder rates. Let’s protect our citizens”:

Gun control doesn’t work. Look at Chicago. Disarming law-abiding citizens isn’t the answer. Stopping violent criminals—prosecuting & getting them off the street—BEFORE they commit more violent crimes is the most effective way to reduce murder rates. Let’s protect our citizens. https://t.co/znHO31gDH2 — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2019

Mayor Lori Lightfoot took issue with Cruz’s tweet and attempted to blame the mass violence in her city on nearby Republican states.

“60% of illegal firearms recovered in Chicago come from outside IL—mostly from states dominated by coward Republicans like you who refuse to enact commonsense gun legislation,” she wrote. “Keep our name out of your mouth”: