Gun control activist David Hogg said Monday that his attacks on Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) have not been "provocative enough."
Hogg, a 17-year-old student who survived the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., argued that Rubio is not doing enough to stop gun violence because of loopholes in laws he has supported. CNN host Alisyn Camerota asked whether Hogg went too far by saying in a speech Saturday that Rubio has put a price on children’s lives, and Hogg replied he hadn't yet gone far enough.
"I don't think it's even provocative enough," Hogg said. "Marco Rubio is still supported by the NRA, which works to ensure not the safety of gun owners and the safety of Americans everywhere, but to ensure that they sell more guns."
Hogg spoke at the "March for Our Lives" Saturday in Washington, D.C. where he said $1.05 is how much Rubio "took for every student's life in Florida." He reiterated Monday that, as long as Rubio is supported by the National Rifle Association, he will not "fix" the problem of gun violence.
"At the end of the day, so long as he is being paid by the NRA, he's not going to work to fix anything that's going to be concrete change," Hogg said. "He's going to make laws that get him reelected but actually don't have any major effect."
Camerota said she is "not a Marco Rubio spokesperson" but argued the senator may not deserve to be singled out for opprobrium since he has helped pass measures to improve gun safety.
"I'm not a Marco Rubio spokesperson, but now that I've heard what he's doing behind the scenes, he is sponsoring all of these various bills, two of which were part of the omnibus, and so things are happening. And all I'm suggesting is that maybe your ire is misplaced since he's actually trying to work across the aisle," Camerota said.
Hogg replied by saying it’s "great" to work on bipartisan legislation, but that Rubio cannot be trusted to pass the right laws "no matter what he does."
"I think it's a great step that he's trying to work across the aisle, but I think so long that he's supported by the NRA, no matter what he does, there's always going to be loopholes in anything that he does," Hogg said.
This contrasts with what Hogg’s sister Lauren said on the show, as she argued Rubio’s response to the Parkland students shows their activism "is definitely working." Her brother said incremental steps are "good" but went on to make the argument that Rubio and anyone else connected to the NRA will make sure gun control measures are not "strong enough."
Previously, Hogg has said the NRA is a group of "child murderers" and "pathetic f—ers."