I’m not sure what he’s up to, but I admire him for sticking to his … uhm … guns on this issue:
Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Sunday said he stands by his controversial 2019 comment that “we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
Asked by co-host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he would stand by his vow if elected governor of Texas, O’Rourke said, “I still hold this view.”
“Look, we are a state that has a long, proud tradition of responsible gun ownership. And most of us here in Texas do not want to see our friends, our family members, our neighbors shot up with these weapons of war. So, yes, I still hold this view,” O’Rourke said.
While running for president in 2019, O’Rourke defended his proposed mandatory buyback of assault-style weapons during a Democratic primary debate.
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” he told a crowd at the time. “We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.”
The gubernatorial candidate on Sunday went on to say that Texans have told him that they are concerned about the bill Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed over the summer that allows for concealed carry without a permit in the state.
“We don’t want extremism in our gun laws. We want to protect the Second Amendment. We want to protect the lives of our fellow Texans. And I know that when we come together and stop this divisive extremism that we see from Greg Abbott right now, we’re going to be able to do that,” he said.
They are weapons of war and they have no place in a civilized society. The gun fetishists like to run around with these things to present a cartoon macho image and end up killing people with them. It’s literally insane.
It’s hard to see how O’Rourke can win Texas saying he wants to outlaw their favorite toy, but it’s refreshing to see someone in his position adhere to his principles. And maybe he knows something about Texas that I don’t know. I admit that the state somewhat mystifies me.