LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator facing criticism for comparing police to a terrorist group is defending his comments, despite calls for an apology.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said Wednesday he would not apologize for the statements during a gun bill hearing last week.

Chambers said at the time that “my ISIS is the police” because they are licensed to kill and pose a threat to his Omaha neighborhood. He said if he carried a gun, he would use it as protection against police and would want to shoot first.

Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha called on Chambers to apologize to police, saying his comments were offensive. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer deemed them “reprehensible.”

Chambers points to an Omaha police officer who resigned this week for fatally shooting a robbery suspect.