Former congressman Beto O’Rourke’s vow to take AR-15s from gun owners appears to represent a stark reversal from his failed Senate run last year.
At Thursday night’s Democratic presidential debate, O’Rourke was pressed by ABC’s “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir about whether he was proposing “taking away” guns from lawful gun owners. He said he was, specifically weapons “designed to kill people on a battlefield.”
“When we see that being used against children and in Odessa, I met the mother of a 15-year-old girl who was shot by an AR-15. And that mother watched her bleed to death over the course of an hour because so many other people were shot by that AR-15 in Odessa and Midland. There weren’t enough ambulances to get to them in time,” he said. O’Rourke’s hometown of El Paso also was the scene of a recent mass shooting.
He then vowed, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore!”
His campaign has even produced a shirt with the slogan.
Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15.
Buy your shirt now: https://t.co/kEJxoLvfH5 pic.twitter.com/KKpAKX4IL8
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 13, 2019
Republican politicians encourage New Yorkers to move after Democratic primary
American Airlines plane makes emergency landing after engine starts smoking
Democratic congressman hurls profanity-laced message at Stephen Miller
Married Florida math teacher, 32, accused of classroom sex with student during lunchtime
Trump Sends ‘Serious’ Threat to ‘the Only Country’ That Won’t Increase NATO Spending
Texas the latest state with a law banning foreign adversaries from buying real estate
Trump Gets NATO Chief to Admit US Has ‘Carried Too Much of the Burden’ on Defense Spending: ‘That Changes Today’
Trump claims ending Ukraine war more difficult than thought at NATO summit
Dead congressman’s social media accounts resurrected to boost former chief of staff’s congressional bid
Judge in Trump funding case tied to taxpayer-backed nonprofit with checkered past
Republicans move to revive Trump’s ‘beautiful clean coal industry’ after Biden shut it down
Trump on Trajectory to Be More Popular Than Obama at This Point in Presidency
Alleged Co-Conspirator of Fertility Clinic Bombing Found Dead
CNN Anchor Goes to New Low in Attempt to Defend Iranians Who Chant ‘Death to America’
Acting Buffalo, NY mayor loses in Democratic primary
However, O’Rourke had a much different stance when he was running for Senate. During an interview on “The Chad Hasty Show” in April 2018, the host asked: “I own an AR-15. A lot of our listeners out there own AR-15s. Why should they not have one?”
“To be clear, they should have them,” O’Rourke responded. “If you purchased that AR-15, if you own it, keep it. Continue to use it responsibly.”
He added later in the same interview: “If you own a gun, keep that gun. Nobody wants to take it away from you — at least I don’t want to do that.”
Since O’Rourke’s run for Senate, there have been several mass shootings in the U.S., including in El Paso, which he has said has changed his view on gun control.
Source: Fox News
