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Beto Wants Gun Manufactures to Pay For His Confiscation Scheme... But He Missed This Tidbit

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) made himself a household name when he proposed a "mandatory buyback" of all AR-15s and AK-47s. He has continually pushed this so-called "plan" at various debates and during most media interviews. 

While talking with CBS News on Friday, Beto was asked, point blank, how he expects to fund his mandatory buyback program, should it become a reality. After all, AR-15s are the most common rifle in America. Assuming every single gun owner in American decided to comply – which is highly unlikely – he would need to come up with billions of dollars to pay for this "program."

Of course, his answer is to make the firearms industry pay for his confiscation scheme. 

“I think that a mandatory buyback can be financed with a surcharge that would be paid by gun manufacturers,” O’Rourke said. “Those who are making the AR-15s and AK-47s and continue to sell them into our communities despite the terror that they’ve inspired and the lives that they’ve taken. I think this is the right way to fund a mandatory buyback without imposing any new taxes on our fellow Americans.”

Remember: the AR-15 is the most popular modern sporting rifle in America. That is a lot of cash to come up with and a lot of doors to knock on.

And anyone who still goes out and buys these "weapons of war" would then have them confiscated and they would see a fine. 

“For anyone who does not [turn in their weapon] and is caught in possession or seen in possession of one of these weapons of war, one of these instruments of terror, that weapon will be taken from them and they will be fined, and if they should persist in continuing to use and to buy these weapons, then there will be other consequences in the criminal code.”

Here's the thing that makes absolutely no sense (not that his confiscation scheme has any clear thinking behind it): when anti-gunners talk about these "mandatory buybacks" of AR-15s it's because they want to "get them off the streets." The goal is to collect every single firearm they despise – in this case it's AR-15s – right? If that were the case, then wouldn't that mean that ARs would be illegal to own and possess? In theory, they would create a gun control law that stopped production of these so-called "assault weapons," in combination with this mandatory buyback scheme. If a law to ban production and sales of ARs were to go into effect, how would gun manufacturers pay a "surcharge" if they "continue to sell them into our communities"? It would be illegal for them to do so.

Beto can say he would never put a halt to the production of AR-15s but we all know that's a flat out lie. If he didn't then his buyback scheme would be useless. There would be no end goal in mind. People would, in theory, continue to purchase the firearms from manufacturers and the government would continually confiscate them. 

Then again, Beto also told us last year that "if you own it [an AR-15], keep it and continue to use it." How quickly he changes his tune.