'I'm not afraid. No fear:' Congressman Swalwell responds to death threat

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. (KTVU) - A death threat was called in to Congressman Eric Swalwell's district office in Castro Valley, which the East Bay politician posted the call on Twitter, with the hashtag #EndGunViolence.

A man's voice can be heard on the recording saying, "Eric Swalwell, here's a little ditty for ya..."pop pop, pop. Thirty round clip and you're all going to drop." The caller continues to raise his voice with expletives and references to the Constitution for another thirty seconds. 

Swalwell tweeted his response saying "I'm not afraid. Not of this caller. Not of the NRA."

His stance could pave the way for an expected presidential run. The Atlantic reports that Swalwell plans to announce his presidential bid on Tuesday during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." 

"It allows him to say, I'm tough, I'm here, I'm not going to back down and that's the kind of person you're going to get if you elect me to higher office," said political analyst Brian Sobel.

Swalwell has been a visible and vocal advocate for stopping gun violence. He has co-sponsored three gun control bills this year for expanded background checks, an assault weapons ban and gun restrictions for domestic violence criminals.

Elizabeth Moore of the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, says Swalwell and others are trying to fight against extremists such as the caller who made the threat..

"What gun sense advocates are trying to do is just have a civil conversation, find common ground," said Moore, "There was a time in this country where discussing this issue didn't result in screaming."

Swalwell spoke about why he'd be a good presidential candidate in an interview on Fox News Tuesday.

"As a father of two kids under two, paying off my student debt, I'm for you. I'm generationally optimistic about our future and being able to solve big problems,"  Swalwell said. 

"He's young, he's got charisma, he's articulate and he gets on well with people," said Sobel. 

The four-term Congressman who represents eastern Alameda County and part of Contra Costa county is a native of Iowa. Sobel says Swalwell may see opportunity in a wide open field of candidates, but he may lack name recognition.

"At the end of the day, he may fade fairly quickly because there are a lot of others...who have a more national name," said Sobel.

Swalwell announced Thursday he is planning to hold his "Town Hall to End Gun Violence" in Florida at the BB&T Center which has a capacity of more than 20,000 people. 

The venue is just 13 miles from the site of last year's mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.