Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gladly accepted former rival Beto O'Rourke's endorsement during a rally in Dallas on the Monday before Super Tuesday. When O'Rourke was finished with his speech, Biden revealed he wants the former congressman to lead the effort on gun control.
"I'm gonna guarantee you this is not the last you've seen of this guy," the former vice president said as he had his arm around O'Rourke. "You're going to take care of the gun problem with me. You're gonna to be the one who leads this effort. I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you. We need you badly, the state needs you, the country needs you."
O'Rourke had made the issue of gun control central to his presidential campaign after a gunman targeted a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. Twenty-two people were killed in the shooting. The gunman had written a manifesto where he expressed hatred for Hispanics and chose the location because of the large number of Hispanics in the area.
During one of the many Democratic debates when he was still in the race, O'Rourke stated, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."
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When he was pressed on the issue and how he would approach gun owners who would refuse to hand in their firearms, O'Rourke said police would have to take them away.
"Yeah, I think just as in any law that is not followed or flagrantly abused, there have to be consequences or else there is no respect for the law," O'Rourke told MSNBC. "So you know, in that case I think there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and to make sure that it is purchased, bought back so that it cannot be potentially used against somebody else."
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