David Hogg Says the 'National Emergency' Donald Trump Should Care About Is Gun Violence, Not Border Wall

Gun control activist and Parkland, Florida, shooting survivor David Hogg criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday for considering calling a national emergency to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The co-founder for the March for Our Lives movement called out Trump during an appearance on CNN. Hogg slammed the idea of Trump referring to the need to build a wall as "a national emergency" while discussing former Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords's plan to introduce a bill requiring background checks on all gun-related sales, including private transactions.

"If we really want to start talking about the national emergency like the president likes to talk about, 40,000 Americans dying annually from gun violence is a pretty damn good one to start off with," Hogg said.

Earlier this week during a press conference, Trump said he considered calling a national emergency to secure funding for the border wall.

"We can call a national emergency because of the security of our country, absolutely. We can do it. I haven't done it. I may do it. I may do it, but we can call a national emergency and build it quickly, it's another way of doing it," he said.

As the government enters its third week of the partial government shutdown, Trump said he would prefer to negotiate an agreement than to call a national emergency.

"If we can do it through a negotiated process, we're giving that a shot," he previously said.

On December 22, the federal government began its partial shutdown, which put at least 800,000 federal employees on furlough. Trump announced on Monday on Twitter that he will nationally address the border on prime-time television on Tuesday.

"I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border," Trump tweeted. "Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern."

Hogg, along with Parkland survivor Jaclyn Corin, said Tuesday that gun control should be considered a "nonpartisan issue" among Democrats and Republicans.

"Both Democrats and Republicans die from gun violence. Bullets don't discriminate and neither should our legislators," Hogg said.

The new bill will be introduced on Tuesday and will mark eight years since the shooting that wounded Giffords and left six other people dead. The bill will also issue background checks on those who attempt to purchase firearms online or at gun shows with exceptions for law enforcement, ABC News reported.