New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a wide-ranging interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday night, said he supports border security but not a wall and also called for background checks and a ban on assault rifles in the wake of last weekend's mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. 

"I don't think we need additional walls because look, there are 11 million people here right now," said the Democrat who's seeking his party's nomination for president, but insisted that  there is no "invasion" of undocumented people coming into the United States, Fox News reports.

De Blasio also said that no matter what happens, immigrants who are criminals will still come across the border, because "people get in with a wall or without a wall," and that he does not accept terms such as "sanctuary cities."

The mayor also defended his city for providing healthcare services to illegal immigrants, saying that taxpayers would end up paying anyway, when those individuals show up at emergency rooms. 

De Blasio and Hannity — who noted that the mayor was the only Democrat contender "brave enough" to appear on his show — squared off on gun control, with de Blasio proclaiming New York City is the nation's safest large city and has "the finest police force."

He told Hannity that he doesn't think the problem in the United States comes from people having gun ownership rights, but there are "no gun safety measures like background checks."

Hannity noted he had to submit to a background check to get a gun permit in the state of New York, but de Blasio said the existing checks are not sufficient.

"Ask the NYPD and they'll tell you they believe in strong gun laws to keep officers and civilians safe," he said. "The answer is not for everyone to have a firearm — any more than the answer is not for every teacher to have a firearm."

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