Sen. Ted Cruz on gun control, fiscal policy

Newly sworn U.S. Senator Ted Cruz gave PBS these answers on a couple of hot button issues facing America today. He is a former Solicitor General of Texas, and a noted conservative disciple of Ronald Reagan.

Gun control?

TED CRUZ: What I think is two things, number one, that restricting the right to keep and bear arms is unconstitutional.

The Second Amendment is an integral part of the Bill of Rights. And what it means is, politicians cannot come and strip the guns from law-abiding Americans. But, number two, it's misguided policy. If you look at the jurisdictions with the strictest gun control laws, almost without exception, they have the highest crime rates and the highest murder rates.

If you look at the jurisdictions that most vigorously protect our right to keep and bear arms, almost without exception, they have the lowest crime rates and the lowest murder rates. Gun control policies don't work. And they're contrary to the Constitution.

Fiscal cliff deal?

TED CRUZ: Well, I would have voted against it because I think it was a lousy deal. It had two parts. Number one, it raised taxes by $620 billion. That's going to kill jobs. It's going to hurt small businesses. It's going to hurt every American.

But, number two, it combined those tax increases, not with spending cuts, which is what President Obama campaigned on every day, but instead with spending increases, $330 billion in additional new spending.

That just made the problem worse. It wasn't a serious response to the grave fiscal and economic problems facing this country.