Tipsheet

Beto Can't Make Up His Mind on Whether He Wants to Ban and Confiscate AR-15s

Julio Rosas
Julio Rosas  |  May 27, 2022 3:00 PM

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke (D) has yet again changed his stance on the banning and confiscation of AR-15s in the aftermath of the a school shooting that left nineteen children and two teachers dead.

Fox News reports O'Rourke's campaign quietly edited his website's section on "gun safety," changing a call to "reduce" the number of AR-15s to stating no civilian should own the firearm.

Before April 1, the campaign website said, "And while it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I strongly believe that we need to reduce the number of AR-15’s and AK-47’s on our streets." Now the section reads, "And while it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I don't believe any civilian should own an AR-15 or AK-47." 

When O'Rourke was first running for Senate in 2018, O'Rourke did not endorse the banning and confiscation of AR-15s. That changed when he was running for president in 2020 when he famously declared, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!"

O'Rourke did poorly in the polls and was one of the first big name contenders to drop out. Prior to the Robb Elementary School shooting, O'Rourke once again flip flopped and said he did not want to confiscate anyones AR-15.

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"I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone. What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment,” he said during a campaign stop in February. "I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now. And that we listen to law enforcement, which Greg Abbott refused to do. He turned his back on them when he signed that permitless carry bill that endangers the lives of law enforcement in a state that’s seen more cops and sheriff’s deputies gunned down than in any other."

O'Rourke crashed a press conference being held by Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders on Wednesday to blame him for the shooting. Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin called out O'Rourker for being out of line and called him a "sick son of b*tch."

McLaughlin stood by his remarks after a prayer vigil was held in the evening.