Tennessee state representative Joe Carr joined PoliticsNation on Friday to defend his bill that would charge federal agents with a misdemeanor for enforcing a federal law or executive order that bans, restricts or requires registration of any semiautomatic gun, accessory or ammunition.
Carr is one of a handful of lawmakers who have introduced similar legislation at the state level that would attempt to "nullify" the president's proposals or executive actions on guns.
He repeatedly cited the importance of the "sovereignty of the states" to defend against the "tyranny" of the federal government as he justified his legislation.
When Sharpton asked where in the second amendment he was given the right to bear whatever arms he wanted, like a hand grenade or a nuclear weapon, Carr called it an "inaccurate conclusion."
The interview became even more contentious when Sharpton reminded Carr that Alabama Governor George Wallace once used the "sovereignty of the state" to justify his opposition to federal involvement in segregation. Carr disagreed that his argument and Wallace's were equivalent despite their common terminology, and criticized the president for "leveraging little children on stage."
Earlier this week, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul suggested proposing on the federal level what Carr has proposed on the state level, pushing to nullify the president's executive actions.