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
Funniest Moments Between Trump and RFK Jr – President Has Quite a Sense of Humor
Michigan adopts sex education standards recommending students be taught gender identity, sexual orientation
Trump drops Marjorie Taylor Greene endorsement, calls her a ‘ranting lunatic,’ hints at backing primary rival
Charlotte promises to resist pending federal immigration raids: ‘Campaign of terror’
Zohran Mamdani tells 1M social media followers to boycott Starbucks amid ongoing worker strike
Antifa members indicted in Texas ICE facility riot, attempted murder of officer
Kai Trump Bounces Back from Rough LGPA Debut: ‘A Lot of Pressure On Her’
DHS Accuses Federal Judge of ‘Putting the Lives of Americans Directly at Risk’ as He Orders Release of 615 Illegal Aliens
Explosive new documentary probes ’80-year global coverup’ of UFO secrets
Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing $272,205 from a Church, Seemingly Avoids Prison Time
Democrats mocked for ‘out-of-touch’ comments dismissing no tax on tips: ‘Peak elitism’
Tom Brady’s New NYC Store Robbed Less Than Two Weeks After Opening
Tech CEO Whose Office Neighbors Mamdani’s HQ Spots a Familiar Face Through the Window
Video captures daring helicopter rescue of BASE jumper dangling from canyon wall
DOJ orders lawyers to report judicial ‘obstacles’ in immigration, Antifa cases
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
