Ocasio-Cortez went after Crenshaw for a tweet about a Houston-area woman who used a handgun to defend herself when five men tried to rob her.
“Situations like this story are why we protect the 2nd Amendment,” Crenshaw tweeted.
He added a side note, tweeting that if universal background checks were to be introduced, he “wouldn’t be able to let my friends borrow my handgun when they travel alone like this,” arguing such checks would make it more difficult for people to defend themselves.
The sidenote provoked Ocasio-Cortez’ reply, asking why he is “lending” people his guns and accusing the Texas lawmaker of giving firearms to people who have “likely abused their spouse or have a violent criminal record,” without detailing why she made such assumptions.
Crenshaw responded by questioning why she thinks his friends are domestic abusers and criminals, and saying that people lend one another guns for self-defense and hunting, noting that “this is America outside NYC.”
Ocasio-Cortez didn’t back down, saying that many abusers “often present as ‘upstanding’” and that “domestic abuse is a HUGE indicator for gun violence. That’s why 'vouching for friend' isn’t a substitute for a background check.” She also noted that “if a background check would be a problem, then you shouldn’t ‘lend’ a gun,” while arguing that her state is one of the safest regarding gun violence.
On Saturday, a gunman opened fire between the Texas cities of Odessa and Midland, killing seven and wounding several others. Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said the suspect, who was killed after engaging with officers, used an AR-type weapon during the attack. The incident came weeks after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, left 31 dead. US President Donald Trump addressed the latest shooting Sunday, telling reporters that he is in talks with Congress about measures to reduce gun violence, yet noted that the latest incident "hasn't changed anything" related to the discussions.