Spurs' Gregg Popovich Speaks on Lack of Gun Control Legislation: 'It's a Joke'

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich used his platform to advocate for the need for gun control in the United States after the latest round of mass shootings in the country.

Popovich criticized a number of Republican lawmakers ahead of Sunday's contest against the Dallas Mavericks.

"They're gonna cloak all this stuff [in] the myth of the Second Amendment, the freedom," he said. "You know, it's just a myth. It's a joke. It's just a game they play. I mean that's freedom. Is it freedom for kids to go to school and try to socialize and try to learn and be scared to death that they might die that day?"

Popovich has never hesitated to speak his mind.

He notably criticized former President Donald Trump a number of times, gave an emotional speech during a community gathering after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and has called out systemic racism in this country.

The latest comments come as gun violence continues to plague the United States.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 144 reported and verified mass shootings in the country as of Sunday. The United States reached triple-digit mass shootings for the year by the first week of March, which was a record-fast time frame for such a grim milestone.

Popovich specifically mentioned the developments in Tennessee.

Dakin Andone, Ryan Young, Amy Simonson and Steve Almasy of CNN reported the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in Tennessee voted to expel Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson after the Democrats were part of a gun reform protest.

The protest happened following a mass shooting in a Nashville school.