Watch: Rep. Jackson Lee claims GOP, NRA made 'getting guns out of neighborhoods ... very difficult'

House Homeland Security Committee member Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, criticized  Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) on "The Story" Tuesday while discussing a spike in gun violence across America's cities.

Jackson Lee, who represents parts of Houston, also called for more programs in inner cities to help those facing poverty find a way out of their economic situation.

"Frankly, I believe that what the protesters and what I've been saying is that you need to put on the street the kinds of programs that take kids off the streets," Jackson Lee told host Martha MacCallum. "You've got to pour into them character-building and activity that will provide them with role models. There's a sense of hopelessness when you are impoverished. Where are the summer jobs programs that are very important?"