Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who is running for president, criticized people making threats against him over his stance on gun control — despite Swalwell's previous implication that the government could nuke gun owners who refused to surrender their firearms.

What's this about? A Florida man was arrested for making threats against Democratic lawmakers last week. His targets included Swalwell, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).



Swalwell is running on a platform focused on gun control. The man focused on that issue in the threatening voice message.

"...the day you come after our guns, motherf***er, is the day you'll be dead," the message said.

Swalwell, like anyone, took offense to being threatened over his political beliefs.

"Making threats is the lowest form of communication," Swalwell wrote on Twitter. "If your response to a lawmaker proposing to change gun laws is to threaten to kill that lawmaker, you are proving why we need better laws on firearm possession in America."

While threats of that nature are indeed inappropriate, it's hard to forget Swalwell also engaging in threatening dialogue with a citizen who opposed his gun control ambitions.



Back in November, Joe Biggs wrote of Swalwell, "So basically @RepSwalwell wants a war. 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."

Swalwell responded, "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."

The implication being that if a gun owner resisted a government effort to take away his or her gun, the government could use nuclear force against gun owners to accomplish its mission. Hyperbole, of course, but still threatening.



Perhaps Swalwell has now learned that violent rhetoric is unacceptable from either side of the debate.

Swalwell has recently been begging National Rifle Association president Oliver North to debate him, while refusing numerous invitations from NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch to engage in serious dialogue about gun laws.