Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins has just entered one of the country's most controversial political debates. In a joint meeting with officials, Robbins called for new gun laws, including additional inspections, in response to last month's mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Cisco, which sells networking equipment to businesses and organizations worldwide, hosted an internal Livestream on June 2. During the meeting, Robbins spoke about the massacre at Rob's Elementary School that claimed 21 lives, 19 of whom were third and fourth graders.

Robbins offered condolences to the victims and urged political leaders to take action to protect children and schools. An official who attended the live broadcast recalled that Robbins said he hoped Congress would act with the fury he did when Russia invaded Ukraine.

The House of Representatives passed a gun law on Wednesday that would raise the minimum age to buy an assault rifle in the United States from 18 to 21. However, the bill in the Senate, split over the new gun laws, stands little chance. Republicans who remain united in their strong opposition to the changes can block a bill with fewer than 60 votes.

While tech leaders have talked about immigration and racial justice recently, they've been reluctant to tackle the most controversial issues, mainly to avoid upsetting employees and customers. Robbin's comments are critical given that Cisco has employees and customers across the map -- both politically and geographically -- and has a culture that is widely considered more conservative than many of its younger Silicon Valley peers. By mid-2021, the company had 79,500 full-time employees.

Robbins' comments sparked a heated debate on internal chat boards as officials began to debate their position on the matter. Eventually, an executive director of human resources stepped in to keep the discussion non-political, according to people familiar with the matter.

Several employees were angry with Robins, accusing him and the company of trying to strip them of their Second Amendment rights said the people who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. However, another group of officers jumped in to defend Robbins, saying his statement was misinterpreted.