Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday pushed back on gun control proposals by his Democratic colleagues, accusing them of taking advantage of recent tragedies to advance their goal of taking away guns from Americans. During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, which took place hours after the deadly shooting in Boulder, Colorado, Democratic senators called for action to address what they described as an “epidemic of gun violence.” While some proposed to expand gun registration system and background checks for gun sales, a few argued in favor of banning so-called “assault weapons,” such as AR-15 rifles. “Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in his opening statement. “And yet thoughts and prayers is all we have heard from my colleagues on the other side. Thoughts and prayers must lead to action.” “I agree. It is time for us to do something,” Cruz responded. “And every time there’s …